Manchester United are gearing up in their pursuit of Leicester City starlet Louis Page as the Red Devils battle other Premier League sides for his signature.
The midfielder broke through as a backup option to Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp in the Foxes’ first team after breaking through from their Premier League 2 squad earlier last season.
United Prepare For Battle
Page featured for the Foxes 21 times last season, including 18 times in the Championship, and has got off the mark for Russell Martin in his managerial debut for the East Midlands club with an 11-minute cameo in their EFL Cup win against Northampton Town.
However, that may prove to be his final action for Leicester, with BBC Sport’s Sami Mokbel reporting that Manchester United are ready to accelerate their interest in the 18-year-old and are now preparing an offer as talks continue.
However, Michael Carrick’s side are not the only club eyeing a deal for Page, with Premier League champions Arsenal and Aston Villa also keen on completing a deal to recruit the teenager.
United and Villa have already conducted business between each other in the midfield department, with Youri Tielemans moving to Old Trafford for a reported £35 million, with the Belgian replaced by Johan Manzambi at his former club.
Arsenal have also spent big in improving their options, having got a deal for Newcastle United‘s Bruno Guimaraes over the line yesterday, with the Gunners previously eyeing another of Leicester’s future stars in Jeremy Monga, who has since moved to Manchester City in a £12.5 million deal.
Where Should Page Head?
With three massive clubs coveting his services, Louis Page looks set to leave Leicester City as they look to rebalance their books following relegation to League One.
However, those sides the midfielder could join offer drastically different fortunes should he choose to join them, and that could prove to be the making of his career going forward.
Manchester United are perhaps the more logical choice given their impressive haul of youth graduates in recent years, with Kobbie Mainoo the face of their world-renowned academy pathway.
However, the signings of Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, combined with a whole host of competition from similarly-aged players, such as Tyler Fletcher and Toby Collyer, means that Page may struggle to stand out and break through to play.
Arsenal may face a similar problem following the recruitment of Bruno Guimaraes, and with a whole host of competition to play in the two holding roles in Mikel Arteta’s system, once again may be stuck further down the pecking order.
That may leave Aston Villa as the best choice of club, proving to be a more local option and with recent developments, Page may find himself in Unai Emery’s plans quicker than expected.
Johan Manzambi, brought in as Tielemans’ replacement, is facing a disrupted start to the season through injury, and combined with Amadou Onana’s long-term absence, leaves the West Midlands club short of options.
Page could therefore step in to support Boubacar Kamara and Joao Gomes in the short term and could prove to have the further benefit of allowing Manzambi to play in a more attacking role to fill the void left by Morgan Rogers following his sale to Chelsea.
