Marseille Midfielder Puts Manchester United On Red Alert After Contract Talks Stall

Manchester United target Boubacar Kamara is reportedly refusing to sign a new contract at Marseille, opening up the possibility of a January move to Old Trafford.

Kamara, 22, has made 142 appearances for Marseille, scoring four times, since making his senior debut for the club as a 16-year-old in 2016.

The defensive midfielder is out of contract at the end of the season and is stalling on signing a new deal at the Stade Velodrome, according to reports in France.

Kamara is reportedly refusing to sign a new deal at Marseille (Image credit: Alamy)

L’Equipe claim Marseille have offered to make Kamara the highest earner in the squad but he is yet to commit his future to the club.

Kamara is able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs from January 1, with Manchester United one potential destination.

United are keen to sign a holding midfielder next month and have been linked with a number of names, including Kamara.

The Manchester Evening News claim interim head coach Ralf Ragnick will be backed with funds in January as the club looks to rectify its midfield deficiencies. 

According to the report, West Ham’s Declan Rice remains their primary target, with RB Leipzig midfielder Amadou Haidara another potential option.

The 22-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season (Image credit: Alamy)

Former United midfielder Luke Chadwick believes Kamara would be a good signing for United.

“He looks a promising player, really athletic, and fits that mould for the modern day defensive midfield role. He’s also confident on the ball and can pick out a pass,” Chadwick told CaughtOffside.

“Obviously it’s well documented that Man United are looking to strengthen in that position.

“It’s probably been 18 months now with the main pairing being Fred and Scott McTominay, and though they’ve done a decent job for United, to get to the next level you need to strengthen that position, particularly just to give options to the new manager in charge.

United are keen to sign a midfielder in the January window (Image credit: Alamy)

“He might not be a household name, but United have shown before that they can find young players and develop them into world class players.

“It’s an exciting link, I’m not sure if there are other options out there, but it looks like a good signing for the future, as well as right now.

“I think if it works out it could give fans real confidence in the new recruitment policy.

“I know that United have strengthened the recruitment side of things and are looking at doing things slightly differently, finding these fantastic young players for the future as well.”

Topics: Marseille, Manchester United, Football, Transfers, Ligue 1, Premier League

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan