Man Utd leads in pursuit £36m Marco deal

Manchester United are reportedly ‘in the lead’ to sign Marco Asensio from Real Madrid this summer.

The 26-year-old – who has one year remaining on his contract with Madrid – scored 12 goals from 42 appearances last term.

But he started just 22 of those games, with Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr the preferred options alongside Karim Benzema for much of the campaign.

His lack of game time has led to reports he could be on his way out of the Bernabeu and Mundo Deportivo (via the Manchester Evening News) claim United, along with Juventus, are ‘in the lead’ to sign him.

Asensio is valued by Transfermarkt at £36m, though prospective buyers would hope to sign him for less than that given he will be available for free next summer, and Madrid would hope to earn a transfer fee given their financial difficulties.

The report states that the forward is keen on securing a move ahead of the World Cup, and Asensio himself recently confirmed that he is in an “important moment” with his future up in the air.

Currently on international duty with Spain, Asensio said: “I have one more year in my contract yet here we are talking about me leaving Real Madrid. This is an important moment for me, I will not deny it.

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“I am more mature and not only on the field, this is an important moment and I will have to make important decisions.

“Me and my family know that I have to keep growing and moving forward. I want to achieve important things in football and they help me do that.

“Considering how this season went and what I experienced during my career, it’s true that I want more, I’m hungry for more and I would retire if it wasn’t like this, but I have many more challenges to achieve.