Manchester United 'seriously interested' in Champions League winner ahead of January transfer window

Manchester United are ‘seriously interested’ in a move for Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen ahead of the January transfer window, according to a report by Spanish news outlet Mundo Deportivo.

Serie A giants Juventus have also been mentioned as potential suitors for the centre-back this winter. Christensen, who is 28-years-old, has been on the books of his current club since the summer of 2022 and has since made 75 appearances in all competitions, chipping in with four goals from the back. He is under contract with the La Liga title hopefuls until June 2026 meaning they are under no pressure to cash in on him next month and can wait for the right offer to come in for his signature.

United could see the Denmark international as someone to bolster their defensive department. They have been conceding too many goals so far this season and could do with tightening things up as they look to rise up the table from their current position of 14th during the second-half of this campaign.

Christensen started his career with spells as a youngster at Skjold Birkerød and Brøndby IF before Chelsea lured him over to England as a youngster back in 2012. He then rose up through the academy ranks at Stamford Bridge and was a regular for the Blues at various different youth levels.

The Lillerød-born man went on to play 161 games for the London outfit in all competitions and found the net on two occasions. He helped his former team win the Champions League, FA Cup, Europa League and Super Cup during his time with them before heading over to Spain. Christensen also had a couple of loan spells away from Chelsea at Borussia Mönchengladbach from 2015 to 2017. He played 82 matches during his days in Germany to help boost his development.

Barcelona snapped him up to give themselves another option to pick from and he hasn’t been a bad player to have in and around the dressing room. However, he has struggled with injury this term and it remains to be seen whether he will be able to force his way back into their starting XI.

After leaving Chelsea, he posted on social media: “YOU FOR EVERYTHING. I had a tough decision to make at the age of 16 to leave Denmark. There was only ever one choice for me and that was Chelsea. From the moment I arrived they made me feel at home, I’m grateful to Jim Fraser and Neil Bath who immediately embraced me as part of their family.

“Some of my proudest moments at the club were when we won FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League. Those were a special group of young players that I was proud to have as teammates. Last year was my proudest achievement as a player and team when we lifted the Champions League in Porto. I was a young boy at Chelsea with all the hopes and fears of a player starting his career, I’m grateful to the whole club for making my dream come true.”