Manchester United are reportedly keen to add to Leeds United's recent relegation woes, amid reports that the Red Devils are hoping to poach one of their rivals' star players this summer…
What are the latest Man United transfer rumours?
According to Italian outlet, TuttoMercatoWeb, the Red Devils are said to be one of the 'illustrious suitors' who are eyeing a move for midfield maestro, Tyler Adams, with the report suggesting that Erik ten Hag would 'gladly' bring the American to Old Trafford.
This follows a previous report from Football Insider which suggested that United are among the teams who are interested in signing the 24-year-old ahead of next term, with the 36-cap ace looking destined for an exit after just a solitary season at Elland Road.
The piece adds that the former RB Leipzig man – who made the £20m move to Yorkshire last summer – would cost the Carabao Cup winners roughly £35m if a deal was to be agreed.
Who could Adams replace at Man United?
With Ten Hag evidently searching for a 'younger' midfield recruit – such as Adams – it could well spell the end for one of the club's more experienced figures, with Brazilian enigma, Fred, potentially set to be on his way this summer.
That's according to Manchester Evening News, who reported that the 30-year-old is a target for recent opponents, Fulham, with Cottagers' boss Marco Silva having been seen talking to the playmaker following Sunday's Old Trafford encounter.
The former Shakhtar Donetsk man has spent five years on the books at the Theatre of Dreams, although the £52m addition has fallen down the midfield pecking order of late, having started just two of the last 13 Premier League games since the 7-0 drubbing away to Liverpool.
That grim defeat at Anfield laid bare the £120k-per-week asset's woes as he was merely a 'non-entity', according to 90min's Jack Gallagher, with it perhaps no surprise that Ten Hag is believed to be keen to move him on this summer.
The addition of Adams, therefore, could well represent something of an upgrade on the diminutive menace, with the Leeds star having been hailed as "one of the best defensive midfielders in the league" by pundit, Noel Whelan.
Despite missing the last few months of the season through injury, the "aggressive" ace – as hailed by Whelan – still finished in joint-fourth in the division alongside Casemiro for tackles made (89), with that a marker of his ball-winning prowess.
Unsurprisingly, Adams ranks in the top 1% among those in his position across Europe's top five leagues for tackles made, with Fred slightly behind as he ranks in just the top 3% in that regard.
That superior defensive quality is also showcased by the fact that while the latter man won just 48% of his ground duels and 50% of his aerial duels in the 2022/23 campaign, the New York native averaged 55% and 64% for those same two metrics, respectively.
In an attacking sense, despite failing to register an assist this term, Adams did notably average one key pass per game as a marker of his creative ability in his deep-lying berth, with that superior to the current United man, who averaged just 0.9 key passes per game.
That brilliance both in and out of possession appears to suggest that Ten Hag would be wise to replace the 5 foot 7 midfielder with the Leeds sensation for next season.
