Man United and Chelsea are now in front to sign the €100 million World Cup star after Newcastle stepped back.
Manchester United and Chelsea might go head-to-head to sign Felix Nmecha this summer after Newcastle United stepped back from a deal. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder has been linked with several teams already, especially after playing for Germany in the World Cup.
According to TEAMtalk, agents have been talking with various Premier League clubs to see if a transfer could happen soon. Newcastle did have talks about signing him, but it seems Eddie Howe’s team will now look at other midfield options after deciding the price was too high.
At first, the big issue was said to be the €100 million fee Dortmund set for Nmecha. But the latest reports say Dortmund could be open to negotiating if there is strong interest. Interestingly, the real reason the move to Newcastle didn’t go through might be that Nmecha himself wasn’t sure about joining them. The 25-year-old apparently didn’t feel St James’ Park was the right step for his career, so a switch there is now pretty much off the table.
Right now, Manchester United and Chelsea are the two Premier League clubs most interested in Nmecha. Both clubs want to boost their midfield this summer and are impressed by his athletic ability and skill, thinking he could become one of Europe’s top midfielders.
Manchester United have already agreed to pay £35 million for Ederson from Atalanta and are expected to add one or two more midfielders this summer. They were also keen on Elliot Anderson before he chose Manchester City and still like players such as Mateus Fernandes, Alex Scott, Carlos Baleba, and Angelo Stiller.
Chelsea also want to bring in a central midfielder but might reunite Xabi Alonso with former Bayer Leverkusen star Granit Xhaka after his great season with Sunderland. This means a move for Nmecha looks unlikely for both clubs right now, but they could get interested again if Dortmund lowers the price.
The report says any move will probably depend on other midfield signings, but Nmecha is definitely ‘on the shortlist’ for both United and Chelsea at the moment.