Man Utd ‘ahead’ of Arsenal and Chelsea in the race for £34.4m defender

Manchester United are ‘ahead’ of Arsenal and Chelsea in the race to sign Monaco defender Axel Disasi, according to reports.

The 25-year-old has impressed in recent seasons at the Ligue 1 club, which has attracted interest from some of Europe’s top sides and he looks likely to move on this summer. French journalist Fabrice Hawkins claimed it’s United who are in the driving seat at this stage, with Erik ten Hag set to ‘talk to the player shortly’.

Hawkins adds United have not yet made a formal offer but said Monaco would negotiate for a fee around €40m (£34.3m).

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano also claimed there is interest from the Red Devils and said there has been ‘some contact’ with the player’s representatives. He recently told Give Me Sport: “Disasi is on the list, for sure. He is one of the players they are following. They had some contact on the player's side, but not yet with Monaco.

"Monaco have a new director of football now in charge, Thiago Scuro, so they have to reveal this kind of relationship with Monaco."

Disasi is also keen on a switch to Old Trafford, as per French publication L’Equipe, who reported he was ‘plan B’ on the list if United failed in their pursuit of Kim Min-jae. That looks increasingly likely, with reports indicating that the South Korean is set to join Bayern Munich.

Disasi began his career in the fifth tier of French football and has slowly risen up the pyramid. He joined Monaco in 2020 and has made 129 appearances for the club, while he has also earned four French caps, including one from the 2022 World Cup final.

United are in the market for a centre-back this summer and are willing to let captain Harry Maguire depart, as well as Eric Bailly. Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe have already left the club this window with their contracts expiring.