Manchester United have reportedly joined the race alongside Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund to sign highly-rated left-back Ferdi Kadioglu from Fenerbahce this summer.
After a very poor 2023-24 season, reinforcing the left-back position is believed to be a priority for the Red Devils during the summer transfer window.
Last season, the club faced major challenges due to the extended absences of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia, both of whom were sidelined with injuries.
Shaw made only 12 Premier League appearances for United last term, while Malacia was unable to play at all due to a knee injury sustained before the season commenced.
The Netherlands international is still on the road to recovery and has yet to resume first-team training, with no fixed timeline regarding his return confirmed to date.
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Man United step up efforts to sign Ferdi Kadioglu
According to The Mirror, United are now set to step up their interest in Kadioglu and are prepared to compete with the likes of the Gunners and BVB to secure his services this summer.
The report adds that while the Red Devils have not yet contacted Fenerbahce regarding a potential deal for the Turkish international, they have scheduled a meeting with the player's representatives in the coming days.
It is understood that Jose Mourinho's side are looking for a fee of around £25.3m for their in-demand defender, which is an amount that would surpass their current record sale of £17.7m that Lazio paid for Vedat Muriqi back in 2020.
If the Yellow Canaries were to receive anything close to their valuation for the player, it would represent a significant profit for the club, having only spent £1.1m to bring him to Istanbul from NEC Nijmegen in 2018.
Kadioglu's value has shot up significantly in recent times. At the end of the 2020-21 season, his estimated value was believed to be £3.5m, and within the following 12 months, after participating in 38 games across all competitions, that valuation more than doubled to £8.8m.
By the beginning of last season, his price tag had risen to £14.4m, while an additional £3.3m was added to that in the last six months.
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Kadioglu garnering interest after impressive Euro 2024
Interest in Kadioglu has increased significantly since the start of Euro 2024, with the 24-year-old emerging as a standout performer for Turkey in the competition.
The defender helped his nation reach the quarter-finals of the tournament, securing two wins in the group stage before earning a notable victory over Ralf Rangnick's Austria in the round of 16.
Unfortunately, Turkey's hopes of reaching the semi-finals, where they would have faced England, were dashed last weekend when they suffered a narrow defeat to the Netherlands.
Despite exiting the tournament, Kadioglu remains on the shortlist of several clubs, including the Gunners, who are believed to view him as competition for Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Dortmund were heavily linked with the player prior to the commencement of the Euros and are expected to return for him after losing out on signing Ian Maatsen, who has now made the switch to Aston Villa from Chelsea.
As for United, the Turkish international could represent a clever piece of business given his current value and considering the club's recent expenditure in their backline.
The Red Devils paid around £80m for Harry Maguire from Leicester City in 2019, which is still the most expensive defensive signing in the Premier League, while they also splashed out over £50m each on Lisandro Martinez and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Devesh Jaganath
