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Al-Nassr are “prepared” to table a bid to Manchester United for Aaron Wan-Bissaka as the Saudi club searches for a new full back in January.
Mike McGrath (The Telegraph) reveals Al-Nassr are keen to strengthen their squad for the second half of the Saudi Pro League season.
The club are currently on the league’s midseason break with the competition set to resume in mid-February. Al-Nassr are second in the table, seven points behind Al-Hilal, who are yet to lose a game this year.
Despite boasting a collection of expensively assembled stars – including Wan-Bissaka’s former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Aymeric Laporte – Al-Nassr have struggled defensively, conceding fourteen goals more than Al-Hilal.
A new full back is thought to be a key part of the club’s plan to chase the league leaders down.
Al-Nassr had initially targeted Emerson Royal but Tottenham Hotspur turned down a £20 million bid for the Brazilian defender. Instead, the Saudi club are now reported to have “switched their attention” to Wan-Bissaka, with the 26-year-old believed to be an ideal target based on his profile and availability.
The right-back has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford this year after being ruled out with an injury. Diogo Dalot is now firmly ahead of Wan-Bissaka in Erik ten Hag’s mind and was rewarded with a new five-year deal towards the end of last season.
By comparison, Wan-Bissaka merely had his existing deal extended by twelve months after the club chose to activate an automatic one-year extension clause in the right back’s contract. Sources at Old Trafford indicate this move was designed to maintain Wan-Bissaka’s value in the transfer market, rather than out of any desire to see him remain at the club long-term.
There were even reports suggesting United may seek to use Wan-Bissaka as a potential makeweight in an approach for Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise. The London club, as well as city rivals West Ham, are believed to have made enquires over the player in recent weeks. As have Inter Milan, according to a report covered by The Peoples Person here.
Al-Nassr would likely be able to blow any offer from these three clubs out of the water should they wish.
With United limited by the constraints of Financial Fair Play in the January transfer window, a late cash injection could prove important to granting them enough flexibility to sign some much-needed reinforcements this month.
The only point of contention may be whether Wan-Bissaka wishes to relocate to Saudi Arabia at this stage of his career. It’s not hard to imagine which club United would want their right-back to join, however.
Al-Nassr would also need to deregister one of their less high-profile foreign stars should they manage to land Wan-Bissaka, owing to the Saudi Pro League’s limits on foreign players. This is not believed to be an obstacle to a move.
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