Manchester United hold an interest in signing Marcus Thuram as a free agent this summer but they risk being usurped by Inter, who are seeking a replacement for Romelu Lukaku.
Lukaku is poised to return to Chelsea this summer – two years after his £97.5million transfer – from the Italian club, where he has suffered from an injury-hit campaign on loan. That decision from the Serie A side may now jeopardise United’s pursuit of Thuram.
The 25-year-old was part of the France World Cup squad and featured heavily in the final and is set to be in high demand this year. The wide forward was linked with a move to United on multiple occasions in the January transfer window.
Italian outlet La Republicca claimed that Erik ten Hag was keen to add the Frenchman to his attacking ranks and that, coupled with Thuram's desire to play in the Premier League, could be enough to seal a deal either in the summer as a free agent.
A report from Telefoot in France also linked United with a switch and added that the forward has his heart set on leaving Borussia Park after four seasons in Germany. Inter, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have all been linked with a move for Thuram.
The Frenchman has bagged 44 goals across four seasons at Gladbach but has enjoyed the best goalscoring form of his career this campaign. He has found the net 16 times this campaign in just 29 appearances and his improvement in the final third is clear.
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He previously spent two seasons in Ligue 1 with Guingamp having debuted for Sochaux in France’s second division aged just 18. Yet it is in Germany where he has developed into a true attacking star and a regular in the France international squad.
Thuram’s father Lilian is one of the most famous defenders to have played football, having accumulated 142 international caps for France and starred over two decades for Monaco, Parma, Juventus and, for the final two seasons of his career, at Barcelona.
He had emerged as a transfer target for United as they seek to bolster their strength in depth for attacking numbers. Marcus Rashford, who prefers a role on the left, and Anthony Martial are the club’s only two senior striking options – with Thuram thriving in a central attacking role at club level. The club are likely to sign at least one central striker this summer.
