Man United already given 'green light' to sign £17m wonderkid as clear transfer message sent

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Nemanja Matic appears to have already given Manchester United the green light to sign Desire Doue. The 18-year-old attacking midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League recently after an eye-catching campaign in the French top flight.

Doue, who sees his contract at Roazhon Park expire in 2026, has featured 29 times for Stade Rennais in Ligue 1 this season, scoring four goals and providing five assists. His impressive performances have reportedly courted the interest of some top European clubs, including the Red Devils.

According to TBR Football, Arsenal and Manchester United have been monitoring Doue. The report states Aston Villa, Chelsea and Newcastle have also been keeping tabs on the France Under-23 international, as well as Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Napoli and Borussia Dortmund.

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While the Red Devils could be put off by the long queue to sign Doue, Matic has already explained exactly why a deal must be completed. Speaking to French newspaper Ouest France in September, the former Manchester United ace heaped tremendous praise on the teenage sensation.

"In my entire career, I've never played in such a young team, with players at 19 or 20 years old," said Matic, as quoted by the Ligue 1 website. "[But] it's always interesting to see how they progress. Desire has great potential. There are a few others but I don't want to say their names because I don't think it's good for them."

In June 2023, Mikael Silvestre revealed the Magpies had been in contact regarding a potential transfer for Doue. Speaking to iNews, the Frenchman's agent and former Reds defender said: "I know Newcastle came to watch him and were in touch with us.

"Like a lot of clubs in Europe when they scout, they come and try and speak to the entourage and get a feeling and try to understand what the situation is. It’s not necessarily about the contractual situation but also what’s going on in the life of the player as much as possible before they make a move."

It remains to be seen whether or not United will pursue a move for the £17million-rated ace in the summer, but the club's reported interest follows Sir Jim Ratcliffe's plan to sign the 'next Kylian Mbappe'. Speaking on the Cycling Club podcast in March, the British billionaire said: "I think in a way what I would rather do is try to sign the next Mbappé than spend a fortune trying to buy success.

"It's not that clever buying Mbappé, anyone can figure that one out. What's much more challenging is to find the next Mbappé or [Jude] Bellingham or Roy Keane."

Ratcliffe added: "The solution isn't spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They've done that if you look at what they've done the last 10 years, they have spent a lot of money on a couple of great players.

"The first thing you need to do is get the right people in the right boxes managing the club and make sure we get recruitment right, that's such a vital part of a football club, getting recruitment right."

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