‘Gentleman’s agreement’ reached to help Man United sign £67m star Midfielder this summer

‘Gentleman’s agreement’ reached to help Man United sign £67m star Midfielder this summer

Manchester United could finally sign a former target of Erik ten Hag’s, with Xavi Simons expected to leave RB Leipzig in a big summer deal.

Ten Hag signed a number of Dutch stars and ex-Ajax players during his time in charge at Old Trafford, and he was particularly keen for Man Utd to bring in Netherlands international Simons.

As per various reports, United made contact for the attacking midfielder last summer following a demand from Ten Hag.

However, United could not complete the deal as Simons was eager to join Leipzig in Germany at the time.

This season, the No 10 – who can also play as a left winger – has notched five goals and four assists in 18 appearances.

On January 30, it emerged that Leipzig had activated their option to make Simons’ loan move from Paris Saint-Germain permanent for €50million (£41.7m / $51.7m).

But there is still a chance the exciting 21-year-old will move to England later this year.

German journalist Christian Falk has talked up the possibility of a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ helping Simons to leave Leipzig this summer, with United, Liverpool and Manchester City all in the frame.

“It’s looking likely that Leipzig will sell Xavi Simons in the summer transfer window,” Falk told CaughtOffside.

“It was a little bit surprising that Leipzig committed to a permanent deal with Simons. At the beginning, they didn’t think they’d get this chance, but they did it for €50m, which isn’t a lot for this kind of player. His contract, of course, isn’t that long, running just until 2027.

“So, you see, his stock is rising! Leipzig are thinking they have signed a player for €50m who has the potential to be an €80m (£66.7m / $82.7m) player, so they could earn a lot of money on a potential sale. I’m sure there’s a gentleman’s agreement or a release clause, which would see Simons sold in the summer.

“Liverpool are interested, as are Manchester City and Manchester United. Xavi Simons won’t stay at Leipzig for his whole career – but everyone already knows that! Leipzig had the chance because PSG were happy to sell as they can’t loan so many players in Europe (they’re only allowed six).

“It’s great news for Leipzig, as they’ve brought in another high-quality player, and if he has to leave, they can now earn a lot of money. Good deal!”

Simons would likely thrive if he linked up with Ruben Amorim at United. He is very versatile and would take up one of the two No 10 positions behind the main centre-forward.

Plus, the Amsterdam-born ace is an exceptional dribbler and can cause opposition defenders all sorts of problems, while he is also clinical in front of goal