Man United 'failed' with Xavi Simons approach but handed £68m transfer hope

Manchester United supposedly failed with an attempt to bring Xavi Simons to Old Trafford over the summer before his loan return to RB Leipzig.

The Paris Saint-Germain product returned to the French capital last summer following an excellent 2023-24 campaign in Germany, where he scored 10 goals and provided 15 assists in all competitions.

Despite Simons's terrific displays in the Bundesliga, there was no space for him in Luis Enrique's PSG squad, and a permanent move away from France was not out of the question over the summer.

However, the 21-year-old ultimately returned to familiar surroundings in Leipzig, rejoining Die Roten Bullen for the 2024-25 season not long after helping the Netherlands reach the semi-finals of Euro 2024.

Both Arsenal and Man United were said to have been keeping tabs on Simons's future, and according to Fabrizio Romano, the Red Devils even went as far as to make an approach before the Euros.

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Simons 'was not interested' in Premier League move

Erik ten Hag's side apparently touched base with Simons's camp to gauge whether a move to the Premier League would interest him, but the playmaker only had eyes for a return to German football.

Simons is still under contract at PSG until the summer of 2027, but if there is still no pathway into the first team for the Dutchman, he will supposedly consider trying his hand at a different league.

The 21-year-old originally joined the French champions from Barcelona in 2019 and rose through the youth ranks for three years, but he was allowed to leave on a free transfer for PSV Eindhoven in 2022.

However, following a breakthrough campaign in his native Netherlands, Simons returned to PSG for an extreme cut-price fee, as the club activated a €6m (£5m) buyback clause in his PSV contract.

The attacker has not made another senior appearance for Les Parisiens since coming back to France, though, and he only managed one assist in 11 appearances during his first spell at the Parc des Princes.

Could Man United realistically sign Simons in 2025?

© Imago

The first prerequisite for Man United to obtain a player of Simons's quality would be qualifying for the Champions League, so if Erik ten Hag's side cannot even achieve that, they can kiss their hopes of signing Simons goodbye.

However, a top-four finish would open the door to a move for the Dutchman, who will certainly command a sizeable fee, but not an astronomical one if he enters the last two years of his PSG deal next summer.

A separate report has claimed that Simons does not see a future for himself at Paris Saint-Germain, who could now move him on for a significant profit rather than integrate him into Enrique's first-team squad.

The Red Devils have apparently been quoted a fee of £68m to sign Simons, which they should be able to afford, and he would provide an ideal alternative to 30-year-old Bruno Fernandes and the injury-prone Mason Mount in the number 10 role.

A few of Man United's rivals may come knocking at PSG's door too, but the Red Devils and Simons already have a Dutch connection through Ten Hag, Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee, so they ought to be among the leading contenders regardless.

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