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Erik ten Hag 'gives green light to Moussa Diaby move'

Erik ten Hag 'gives green light to Moussa Diaby move'
© Reuters
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag personally approves a move for Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, according to a report.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has reportedly given his approval for the club to sign Bayer Leverkusen's Moussa Diaby this summer.

The 23-year-old is thought to have attracted the attention of a number of top European clubs after helping Leverkusen qualify for the Champions League last term.

Diaby came up with 17 goals and 14 assists in 42 matches across all tournaments last term, including 13 strikes and 12 assists from 32 Bundesliga outings.

The France international's exploits have helped him earn a place in Didier Deschamps's Blues setup, and he was originally thought to have been a priority target for Newcastle United.

However, the Magpies are now understood to have ended their interest in the former Paris Saint-Germain youngster, who would command a £60m fee to leave Leverkusen.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag on July 15, 2022© Reuters

As a result, Fichajes claims that Man United are now ready to make their move for Diaby, and Ten Hag has personally approved a move for the attacker.

The report claims that the Red Devils view Diaby as an ideal replacement for Anthony Martial, who fell out of favour at Old Trafford last year.

Martial has been handed opportunities to impress Ten Hag in pre-season, but he is still expected to be available for transfer for the right price ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Leverkusen paid just £13.5m to sign Diaby from PSG in the summer of 2019, and the attacker has since registered 35 goals and 37 assists in 124 games for the German club.

Man United have already added to their attacking ranks with the signing of Christian Eriksen, while Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford will be hoping to kick on next term.

Ajax attacker Antony in action in April 2021© Reuters

The Red Devils could still try to target a new winger before the summer window closes, but they continue to be frustrated in their efforts to sign Ajax's Antony.

Ten Hag's former side have allegedly raised their asking price for the Brazil international to £84m, which Man United would not be prepared to pay.

Ten Hag is therefore said to have drawn up a list of alternative targets to Antony, with Rafael Leao, Pedro Neto and Yannick Carrasco among them.

Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez have followed Eriksen to Old Trafford for the 2022-23 season, but a deal for Frenkie de Jong is no closer to being completed.

De Jong has supposedly informed Man United that he will be staying at Barcelona, and the Red Devils are instead preparing a £42m offer for Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

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Ben Knapton

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Lazio's Sergej Milinkovic-Savic celebrates after the match with Roma on September 26, 2021
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