Manchester United are reportedly battling with Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool over a deal to sign Brentford defender Nathan Collins, as per TEAMtalk.
Since moving to the Gtech Community Stadium from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2023, the 24-year-old has established himself as an undisputed starter.
This season, he has been showcasing his qualities, making five goal contributions and keeping seven clean sheets in 33 appearances across all competitions.
Moreover, he has been helping his side to push for a European place finish in the Premier League, sitting only three points behind sixth-placed Chelsea.
Having proven his worth in the English top flight, Collins has secured his place in the Republic of Ireland national team’s starting line-up.
Now, TEAMtalk claim that after being impressed by Collins, Man Utd have started showing ‘genuine’ interest in signing him. Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham are in this race as well and have been monitoring his development closely before making a potential swoop.
However, Man Utd are planning to accelerate their efforts to finalise the operation, with Jason Wilcox valuing the defender’s consistency, physical presence, and leadership qualities.
Brentford usually play hardball to sell their big assets, and they aren’t in any rush to sell Collins, with his existing deal set to run until 2029. The Bees have slapped a £55m price tag on his head if they are forced to cash-in on him this summer.
Battle
The report state that Man Utd are ‘strongly considering’ reinforcing multiple areas of the defensive department and are looking for a new left-back as well as a CB.
Collins is a 6ft 4in tall right-footed centre-back. He is quick, strong, good in the air, comfortable playing out from the back, and efficient in defensive contributions.
The Brentford star has shown glimpses of his qualities in the Premier League in recent years and isn’t a finished article yet. So, he would be a shrewd acquisition for Man Utd, Liverpool, or Tottenham with a view to the long-term future should any of those clubs purchase him.
However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the Old Trafford club, the Merseyside club, or the North London club eventually make a concrete approach to secure his service during the offseason.