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2 months ago
18 Yesterday, Fabrizio Romano revealed that Manchester United had made a brief approach to suss out Xavi Simons’ availability before he departed for the Euros.
Club chiefs asked the prolific forward whether he’d be interested in making the move to England, but were informed that he wanted to stay in Germany for the time being before potentially taking on a new venture elsewhere in 2025.
United’s interest came after a campaign in which Simons had notched 10 goals and 15 assists in 43 appearances across all competitions for RB Leipzig, where he is on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.
A La Masia product, the 21-year-old quickly established himself as one of Europe’s hottest prospects when breaking onto the scene with PSV in 2022/2023, so much so that his efforts saw him called up to represent his native Netherlands at the World Cup in 2022. He again gained invaluable experience at a major tournament when included in Oranje’s Euro 2024 squad, picking up two assists along the way, as well as a goal in the semi-final vs England.
Why Simons could opt for Anfield move
With Liverpool now also said to be admirers of the ‘exceptional’ attacker, Bild journalist Yvonna Gabriel has explained why they may have an edge over arch-rivals United should both clubs vie for his signature in the near future.
“PSG would like to sell him next year, but Xavi sees himself at an even bigger club,” she divulged on the FC Bayern Insider podcast. “His price tag, which is already rumoured to be over €80m (£67.4m, $89.4m), is utopian for Leipzig. With sums like that, however, the Premier League naturally comes into play, Xavi’s dream destination, as they say, that’s why he took on a new advisor a year ago, the Englishman Darren Dein. It’s fair to say that the whole league has long had Xavi on its radar. Liverpool were also extremely keen on him this summer; there is a good connection to coach Arne Slot.”
