Manchester United have been told they will need to pay up to £25m to sign Marcel Sabitzer on a permanent basis from Bayern Munich.
What’s the latest Man United news on Sabitzer?
Erik ten Hag brought Sabitzer in on loan until the end of the season back in January after an injury blow to Christian Eriksen. Since then, the 29-year-old has gone on to feature heavily in all competitions, impressing in Thursday’s Europa League quarter-final first leg with Sevilla.
The Austrian netted twice in the first half before the Red Devils went on to concede twice late on to leave the tie in the balance ahead of the return leg in Spain. Sabitzer was singled out for praise from Red Devils legend Peter Schmeichel as a result, with the former goalkeeper saying:
“The best player is the guy who scored two goals, Marcel Sabitzer was really good. His teammates have let him down. He showed the way, and they didn’t catch on to it.”
There has been speculation of a permanent transfer for the midfielder, with previous reports suggesting that there were set to be “decisive talks”.
The Sun shared a transfer update regarding Sabitzer in the last 48 hours. They claimed that the player wants to turn his loan into a permanent move, with Ten Hag also keen on a full-time transfer.
However, they add that Bayern are demanding an initial £20m plus a further £5m in add-ons to sanction a permanent exit, saying that the chances of a transfer rely on the German giants lowering their asking price.
Is Sabitzer worth £25m?
Sabitzer, described by Diogo Dalot as a “machine”, is under contract in Germany until 2025, so Bayern may feel no pressure to lower their asking price this summer.
The player’s Transfermarkt valuation currently stands at €20m (£17.8m) a figure which has dropped from a career-high €42m (£37.5m) back in 2021 before moving to Munich. You could argue that a switch to Bayern hasn’t worked by looking at those figures, and with the player turning 29 last month, a £25m asking price may potentially be viewed as high.
The Red Devils are after a new midfielder this summer, though, so they will have to decide whether or not they see Sabitzer as part of their long-term plans.
United already have two experienced midfielders in Casemiro and Eriksen, so the club could be better off targeting a marquee midfielder younger than Sabitzer, possibly someone like Frenkie de Jong or Jude Bellingham, players who have been linked with big-money moves.