Man United's £35m transfer 'in jeopardy' as Erik ten Hag could scupper Ruben Amorim left-back plans

Ten Hag was memorably given a stay of execution by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co over the summer, but he was eventually sacked from his post in late October after overseeing Man United's worst-ever start to a Premier League season.

Since Ruben Amorim was sworn in to replace Ten Hag and interim boss Ruud van Nistelrooy, the Portuguese has quickly implemented his tried-and-tested 3-4-3 shape, to mixed effect so far.

The Red Devils have lost back-to-back Premier League matches against Arsenal and Nottingham Forest, two games in which Tyrell Malacia and Diogo Dalot occupied the left wing-back positions.

That area of the field is thought to be a priority for the Red Devils to address in the 2025 transfer windows, as Luke Shaw is still being plagued by injuries and has just picked up a fresh muscular problem.

Man United's David Raum hopes to suffer blow thanks to Ten Hag?

RB Leipzig left-back David Raum is thought to have caught the eye of Red Devils bosses, but according to The Mirror, Man United's chances of a deal could suffer a huge blow thanks to their erstwhile boss.

Current Leipzig manager Marco Rose is under serious pressure after overseeing a run of five defeats, two wins and a draw from Die Roten Bullen's last eight matches, and a change in the hotseat could be imminent.

Leipzig have won their last two fixtures against Eintracht Frankfurt and Holstein Kiel, but the Roten Bullen management have apparently sounded out Ten Hag as a potential successor to Rose should he be given the boot.

As was the case at Man United, Ten Hag would likely demand authority over Leipzig's transfer business and would be reluctant to sell to the Red Devils after the club relieved him of his duties two months ago.

Should Ten Hag take up the position of Leipzig manager, he would be working under the wing of ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who will become Red Bull's new Head of Global Soccer in 2025.

Why do Man United want to sign Raum?

Renowned for his attacking qualities on the left-hand side, Raum has set up over 50 goals throughout the course of his senior club career for Greuther Furth, Hoffenheim and now RB Leipzig.

The Germany international has a total of three goals and 16 assists under his belt from 89 matches for Die Roten Bullen, where he has often played as both a left wing-back and out-and-out left-back.

Raum still has three years left to run on his Leipzig contract, but he has not signed a single extension since joining from Hoffenheim in 2022, when he commanded a £21.5m transfer fee.

Leipzig would supposedly demand £35m to let the 26-year-old depart now, although that is still an affordable price for Man United, who have also been linked with Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies and Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez.

Written by

Ben Knapton