Man Utd receive welcome Christian Eriksen transfer boost thanks to Antonio Conte

Manchester United appear to be in pole position to sign Christian Eriksen thanks to Tottenham Hotspur's decision to pull out of the race.

New Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag wants to make the 30-year-old his first signing amidst a difficult start to his maiden summer transfer window at Old Trafford. Last week, United have offered Eriksen a deal to leave Brentford when his contract with the Bees expires on June 30.

Ten Hag has now been handed a major boost in his efforts, as the Daily Star report that Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has backed down in his bid to reunite with the midfielder. Conte coached Eriksen at Inter Milan between January 2020 and June 2021, when the Denmark international suffered a cardiac arrest during a European Championship match and spent more than seven months recovering before miraculously getting back to the professional game.

Spurs had been tipped to re-sign Eriksen this summer, having previously made over 300 appearances in north London prior to joining Conte in Italy and ultimately win the Serie A title during his first full season at San Siro. But while the pair worked well in Milan despite some tactical teething problems, it is Ten Hag who looks likely to be the Dane's next boss.

Although Brentford remain willing to break the bank to keep Eriksen for another campaign following his one goal and four assists in a spectacular second half of last term, the Red Devils are the favourites to land his signature once he makes a decision on whether or not to change clubs in the coming days.

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A report from Dutch newspaper De Telegraph recently claimed that, along with Barcelona star Frenkie De Jong, United want to wrap up a deal for Eriksen before moving on to pursuing other targets such as Ajax stars Antony and Lisandro Martinez, two of Ten Hag's standout performers during his final year as manager of the Eredivisie giants.

Unlike the task Old Trafford chiefs will face in negotiating a transfer for De Jong, however, the Red Devils do not need to agree a fee with another club in order to bring Eriksen to Manchester, meaning that his deal could go through first.

United still need a decision from the man himself, though, and Eriksen kept his cards close to his chest when discussing his future with BBC Sport in May. "I don't know what the future holds," he admitted. "It will be a decision from a sporting perspective but also be a family perspective going into the decision of where we're going to go."

Asked if Brentford were in the running, Eriksen confirmed: "They are, they definitely are. I haven't made up my mind 100 per cent of where I'm going. I have an idea, but what's going to happen I don't know. But Brentford are definitely in the category of one of the clubs."