Battle of the North, Manchester Utd and Liverpool fight over this defender

The two historic Premier League clubs are set for another transfer battle

20/01/2024, 04:12 PM +00:00

Liverpool and United set for another transfer battle

Another day, another new centre back linked with Manchester United as the club looks to improve in the defense. The future is uncertain for a lot of Manchester United’s defenders as contracts are set to expire and some players will be looking for fresh starts. As it currently stands the only player that is certain to stay next year is Lisandro Martinez, which would leave quite a gap in the cb room.

United have been linked with numerous defenders this month and have been linked with some top-class centre-backs like Araujo, Yoro, and Branthwaite. The club has also been linked with some unknown centre-backs compared to the other names such as Alessandro Buongiorno from Torino. It’s been a mixed bag and it’s tough to tell which way United will lean towards this winter or the summer. Departures will have a huge say in what happens.

The next name on the list is a Japanese centre back that goes by the name of of Ko Itakura. The defender already has a past with the city of Manchester as he was signed by Manchester City in 2019. However the Japanese defender would never make an appearance for the blue side of Manchester and would get sent out on loan multiple times before leaving permanently. Itakura is currently at the Asian Cup with Japan where he is shining and has also scored twice in seven games for Borussia Monchengladbach.

United will not have a free run at the player, as they will face fierce competition from their Premier League rivals in Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. However there is a small advantage United have according to Football Transfers as United could move for the centre-back this month and Spurs and Liverpool both prefer waiting until the summer to make a move. If Itakura were to be signed this month, he would become the first signing under the Jim Ratcliffe era.

Itakura’s release clause that could benefit United

Not much negotiation would be needed for Itakura as he has a release clause that is worth 10 to 15 million Euros this summer according to Sky Germany.