Vivell making it his mission to sign £87m star for Man Utd

It feels like arguably the biggest summer of churn among the Premier League elite in a decade, with Manchester United right at the heart of that.

Michael Carrick has seen his fine work rewarded with a permanent contract, while changes are afoot elsewhere, with Enzo Maresca, Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso now in post at Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, respectively.

There hasn’t been such managerial upheaval since the summer of 2016, when Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho were all appointed, the latter man belatedly taking the job at Old Trafford.

That summer also saw Mourinho and co welcome Paul Pogba back to Manchester on what remains a club-record £89m deal, with United again in the market for at least one statement, midfield addition ten years on.

Vivell leading Man Utd pursuit for £87m midfield target

Manuel Ugarte’s injury sustained on World Cup duty may potentially complicate matters, but there is still set to be at least one new midfield signing this summer, following Ederson’s expected arrival.

With Elliot Anderson now Manchester City-bound on an eye-watering £116m deal, the focus has turned toward West Ham United’s Mateus Fernandes, the Portuguese one of a number of Premier League targets on the agenda.

The issue is that Tottenham Hotspur are also in the mix too, with it yet to be seen if United will stump up the required cash to sign the 21-year-old.

There are alternatives, however, with Sky Sports Germany reporting that Christopher Vivell is leading the club’s pursuit of Germany star, Felix Nmecha.

As per the report, Vivell has been in regular contact with the 25-year-old’s agents, potentially keen to get ahead with the likes of Manchester and Liverpool also circling.

As relayed by SportWitness, Borussia Dortmund aren’t exactly keen to sell their midfield star, with any deal expected to cost in excess of €100m (£87m).

Why Nmecha could be another Pogba for Man Utd

It’s difficult to look back upon United’s handling of Pogba as good business, with the club forking out a record fee for a player who had left on a free transfer just four years earlier, prior to seeing him again leave Manchester for nothing in 2022.

Regularly linked with an exit across his time at the club, the World Cup-winning Frenchman never quite hit the heights expected across that six-year spell, his best run of form arguably coming in 2018/19, following Mourinho’s mid-season exit.

A polarising, at-times infuriating talent, there were flashes of his genius at his best, with Pogba memorably notching four assists on the opening day of the 2021/22 season against Leeds United.

He was a powerhouse, a monster of a midfielder who could dominate any opponent when in the mood, with there certainly similarities to the 6 foot 3 Nmecha, it must be said.

Like Pogba, the German has already spent time in Manchester previously after his time in the City academy ranks, prior to being sold on to Wolfsburg in the summer of 2021.

Now at Dortmund, he has gone to a new level of late, tipped to become the “best player in the world” in his position by national team boss, Julian Nagelsmann.

Much like Pogba in 2018, Nmecha is shining on the World Cup stage, kicking things off with a delightful curling effort against Curacao in Germany’s opening group game.

It proved a tougher test in the final group game against Ecuador, although from his three outings thus far, the £87m-rated star boasts one goal and one assist, having averaged five tackles and interceptions per game.

There’s a physicality to his game that is certainly Pogba-like, while he is no slouch in possession either, having averaged a stellar 91% pass accuracy rate so far from his midfield berth.

One area of concern might be how easily he can be beaten in behind, having actually been dribbled past 2.3 times per game already at the World Cup.

For comparison, Casemiro was dribbled past 1.6 times per game in the Premier League last season, while Pogba’s final campaign in Manchester saw him dribbled past 1.1 times per game.

That might suggest Nmecha needs someone to sit alongside him, but if utilised in his best role as a roaming number eight alongside a suitable partner, then United could be onto a winner.

Indeed, that often felt the issue with regard to Pogba, so often wrongly deployed as a number six, despite producing his best work when afforded more freedom, much like alongside N’Golo Kante for his country.

Nmecha might need the players and system around him, but bringing him back to Manchester could be something of a coup for the Red Devils.