Erik ten Hag's secret phone call prompts transfer target to 'pack suitcases'

RB Leipzig striker Brian Brobbey has 'packed his suitcases' at the club after holding phone calls with new Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag.

United are in the transfer market to bolster their attacking options after discovering that Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Old Trafford after just one season, while Edinson Cavani was among a glut of exits this summer as United slimmed down their first-team squad.

Brobbey shares a close relationship with Ten Hag, who handed him his senior debut and brought him back to the Amsterdam club on a loan deal last season. The 20-year-old forward bagged seven goals in 13 outings for Ajax, before returning to parent club RB Leipzig this summer.

United's prime attacking target is thought to be Ajax forward Antony, who is among the leading transfer targets for Ten Hag with the boss keen to reunite with the 22-year-old.

The Brazilian told the Dutch giants that he wants the club to consider allowing him to make the switch to United this summer to be reunited with his former coach. However, his £67.5million price tag may prove prohibitive in any deal.

That has opened the door for a possible switch for Brobbey, who is available for as little as £12.8million (€15m). The 20-year-old has endured a difficult time at the German club, whom he joined in 2021 but made just 14 first-team appearances - in which he did not find the back of the net.

Ajax are favourites to sign the striker on a permanent deal this summer but a move to Old Trafford has not been ruled out. Brobbey joked after being asked for comment after Ten Hag's appointment at Old Trafford earlier this year: "I'm very happy for him - if he brings me to Manchester in two years!"

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What does appear certain is that Brobbey's exit from RB Leipzig is imminent, with both Bild and Sky in Germany reporting that he has 'packed his suitcases' ahead of a move. Ajax remain in the driving seat but Manchester remains an option for the player, whose only priority is to leave the Bundesliga club.

Brobbey is said to have been unhappy since joining the German outfit and swiftly made up his mind that he wanted an exit, hence his loan return to Ajax last season and desire to push through a permanent switch this summer, which will be either to his former club or to reunite with his old boss.

United have made just one purchase in the summer transfer window to date with the addition of full-back Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord. However, the club are close to signing free agent Christian Eriksen - who has a three-year verbal agreement in place with the Red Devils.

Eriksen is set to join United under Ten Hag, with whom he shares a strong relationship. The Danish star never played under the boss at Ajax, but he was invited back to the club last year to train with the squad in a bid to help him recover full fitness after leaving Inter Milan.