Manchester United could finally secure the signing of Brian Brobbey two years after their first approach
Manchester United could finally sign Ajax striker Brian Brobbey two years after making their first approach, and a top source has confirmed the future of Erik ten Hag will be key.
The Red Devils attempted to reunite Ten Hag with Brobbey in the summer window of 2022. Ten Hag previously managed Brobbey at Ajax and had just taken charge at Old Trafford.
However, Brobbey elected to return to Ajax following a troubled stint at RB Leipzig. The frontman recently explained his reasoning to Dutch outlet De Telegraaf.
“Manchester United wanted me, but I really wanted to return to Ajax permanently,” Brobbey said.
“To make this possible, my agent Jose Fortes Rodriguez even waived his hefty resale percentage.
“Erik ten Hag called me from Man Utd. My agent could’ve got his millions and I could earn a multiple of my Ajax salary. But our decision was made: we wanted to go to Ajax.”
However, fast forward 18 months and Man Utd are still on the hunt for a striker despite signing Rasmus Hojlund last summer.
Hojlund’s primary back-up is Anthony Martial, though the Frenchman’s time at Old Trafford is coming to an end.
United have chosen not to take up the one-year option in Martial’s contract. As such, if he’s not sold this month, Martial will leave as a free agent at season’s end.
Brobbey has been a rare bright spark for Ajax this term having notched 13 goals and four assists in 25 matches across all competitions.
The 21-year-old right-footer also made his senior debut for the Netherlands at the back end of 2023.
Ten Hag wants Brobbey now, but summer move more likely
The Mirror recently reported Ten Hag has ordered Man Utd to sanction another move for Brobbey. According to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, any such move stands a decent chance of succeeding.
Taking to X, Plettenberg revealed contact between Man Utd and Brobbey’s camp has never broken off and both he and the club hold strong mutual admiration.
A winter window move is wanted but is unlikely for two reasons. Firstly, United have very little to spend and Ajax won’t entertain a mid-season sale anyway.
But it’ll be a different story come the summer, with Plettenberg suggesting a transfer at the end of the campaign will become a hot topic once again.
Plettenberg was also keen to stress Brobbey to Man Utd likely hinges on Erik ten Hag remaining the Man Utd manager.
Results have been poor this term and with Sir Jim Ratcliffe soon to be pulling the strings, there has been speculation Ten Hag could be axed to begin the new era with a clean slate.
But if Ten Hag does enough to convince Man Utd’s new part-owner he’s worthy of more time, Brobbey could be the next in a long line of Ajax-connected players to follow Ten Hag to Old Trafford.
Lisandro Martinez and Antony were both signed directly from the Dutch giant. Christian Eriksen had trained with Ten Hag’s Ajax during his recovery from cardiac arrest. Ten Hag also managed Andre Onana at Ajax prior to his one-year stint with Inter Milan.
