Man Utd given green light to complete signing but face Steven Gerrard obstacle

Boubacar Kamara has confirmed that he will be leaving Marseille this summer amid links of a move to Manchester United.

The 23-year-old turned down a contract offer from the French giants in favour of seeking "a new challenge" which could be at Old Trafford as part of Erik ten Hag 's revolution. The new Red Devils boss is determined to sign a midfielder over the coming months, with it being a problem position for predecessors Ralf Rangnick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

"After long reflections, nights when we do not sleep, where we weigh the pros and cons, I decided not to extend, to leave OM at the end of the season," Kamara told Telefoot after Marseille ended their season by thrashing Strasbourg 4-0. "This is the best decision for the rest of my career. I want to evolve, to discover a new challenge."

The uncapped France international, who is also a target for Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, added: "I have made my choice for my future club you will know soon. I am a young man from a neighbourhood that ends up at the Stade Velodrome. I only knew one jersey, I've been at the club since the age of 5, I have 22. My career has been unique at OM."

Reports in Italy, however, say that Aston Villa are the frontrunners for his signature, with manager Steven Gerrard believed to have been in attendance for Marseille's 3-2 victory over Nantes last month. RMC Sport, via Sport Witness, claimed that Gerrard made a personal trip to the south of France to see Kamara in action after Villa offered him a lucrative deal which led to a verbal agreement.

Ten Hag is eyeing a defensive midfielder to give United an upgrade on Fred and Scott McTominay, with other options in Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba set to leave Old Trafford. Frenkie de Jong has been heavily linked with a move, although offers a slightly different skillset to Kamara.

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The youngster, who recently received his first France call-up, is more adept in his defensive duties than playmaker De Jong, having often been the lynchpin between the back line and midfield in Ligue 1.

Goal reported back in March that Atletico were looking to sign Kamara, who racked over 150 appearances for Marseille following his debut at the tender age of 16. Diego Simeone and co were said to be confident in their pursuit, as Bayern Munich, Roma and AC Milan monitored his situation.

Marseille president Pablo Longoria expressed his disappointment over losing Kamara by saying: "To lose a player at the end of the contract, especially one of your best and one with one of the best values in the squad, is always a failure."