In a recent tweet, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Manchester United target and Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso has no plans to extend his stay at the Allianz Arena once his contract expires this month.
“Official. Corentin Tolisso leaves FC Bayern on a free transfer, there’s no agreement to extend the contract and both parties decided to part ways immediately.” – The tweet read.
“Tolisso will be available as free agent this summer.”
The 27-year-old midfielder’s availability on a free transfer has put Manchester United and Arsenal on high alert, according to recent reports from The Sun. A transfer battle seems imminent with both the Premier League clubs looking to bolster their midfield options for different reasons.
Tolisso’s Struggles In Bavaria
Corentin Tolisso signed for Bayern Munich from Ligue 1 side Lyon in 2017 for a fee in the region of £38 million as he was expected to establish himself as one of the most complete midfielders of all time in the following years, However, it would be an understatement to say that a series of grievous injuries have crippled his career to a large extent. Over the course of the last six years, the France international has made just 118 appearances for The Bavarians (a poor average of 20 appearances per year), scoring 21 goals and bagging 15 assists across all competitions.
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Even this season, severe calf problems and muscle injuries limited him to just fifteen Bundesliga appearances. It’s pretty understandable why the senior figures at Bayern decided to let the Frenchman leave – while the long history of injuries and up-and-down performances is a significant factor, they didn’t feel like his salary of €8 million per season was worth keeping on the books.
Nonetheless, if he manages to secure game time on a consistent basis, one can expect him to reach close to the levels he did before his move to Germany.
A Risk Worth Taking?
Manchester United have plenty of deadwood and old legs in their squad that need immediate replacing – but bringing in a player who has made just seven league starts this season doesn’t sound like a good idea.
With Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, and Nemanja Matic set to depart, Erik Ten Hag would need reliable figures at the centre of the park, players capable of playing at the highest level week in and week out. Recruiting Tolisso to fulfil such demands might backfire in no time – another severe injury, and he would be making a fortune sitting on the bench.
Although on a free transfer, signing the Tarare-born midfielder is not an option the Red Devils should be exploring at the moment.
