Man Utd join Josko Gvardiol transfer race and set to battle Chelsea and Tottenham for RB Leipzig centre-back

MANCHESTER UNITED have joined the race to sign RB Leipzig centre-back Josko Gvardiol, according to reports.

The Red Devils are keen to bolster their defensive options after a woeful season at the back.

Captain Maguire consistently underperformed, while new boy Raphael Varane failed to offer the kind of solidity ex-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had hoped for.

Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly and Phil Jones have not offered the reliable back-up Man Utd needed.

As a result, they are now being linked with 20-year-old Leipzig centre-half Gvardiol for a fee in the region of £30million.

According to , the fact that he is left-footed makes him a more suitable option for what Erik ten Hag is looking for at the heart of his defence.

But they will have to fend off competition from both Tottenham and Chelsea if they are to secure his signature.

All three Prem sides are keen to improve their back line to ensure they can secure a top four finish next season and possibly even challenge for the title.

Gvardiol made 29 Bundesliga appearances last season, contributing eight clean sheets.

He also scored two goals and provided a further two assists for the German side.

FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS

Man Utd have been linked with a host of players already this summer.

And former interim boss Ralf Rangnick confirmed prior to his departure that new head coach Ten Hag may need as many as EIGHT new players.

He said: “In the end football is pretty easy, you just need to win games.

“In order to do that it’s obvious with quite a few players whose contracts are expiring we need a number of new players.

“There is already at least something like a number of players that are really top players for this club but as I said we need all the other areas.

“[I] suppose there will be six or eight new players. They should be top players to strengthen the quality of the squad.”