Updated: 11 Jun 2026 10:44 BST |
5 min read
Manchester United are looking to rebuild their midfield and have now identified a rather surprising new target.
The Red Devils’ main priority is to beef up their engine room this summer, following a successful overhaul of the attack last year with the signings of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko.
Casemiro has departed the Red Devils on a free transfer, while Manuel Ugarte is expected to be sold. There is also some uncertainty over the oft-injured Mason Mount, who has hardly played since joining in a €67.7 million move from Chelsea in 2023.
It is therefore no surprise that Michael Carrick’s first order of business as Man Utd’s permanent head coach is sorting out the midfield. One signing has already been wrapped up, with Atalanta star Ederson reportedly joining for a €45m package in July.
The Old Trafford outfit are planning to bring in at least one more midfielder, and potentially even two, depending on market opportunities and outgoings. Numerous high-profile stars have been linked, though it is believed that Man Utd are not desperate to make a marquee signing; they want volume ahead of their Champions League return, meaning that they can’t go around spending €120m or more on just one player.
Man Utd’s new target
According to Sky Sports, a new name that has emerged on the Red Devils’ radar is Nigeria international Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, who currently plays his club football at Lazio.
In a report that reads like it has come directly from the player’s agent, it is claimed that the 25-year-old – who is erroneously described as a Napoli player – is “happy” in Italy but at the same time “open” to a Premier League move.
He could be “looked at” by Man Utd, it is claimed, though at this stage it is unclear if there is actually anything in this. To say that this would be a surprising move would be an understatement.
Dele-Bashiru has spent most of his career outside of the Premier League. After coming through the Man City academy, where he never made a senior appearance, he went on to play 86 games for Sheffield Wednesday.
He then joined Turkish club Hatayspor before joining Lazio on loan in 2024. His temporary stint was made permanent last summer. The total package, made up of a €2m loan fee and €3.4m transfer fee, cost €5.4m.
An 18-time Nigeria international, Dele-Bashiru made 11 starts for Lazio in Serie A in 2025/26, missing numerous games with an early-season injury and then again after being called up to the African Cup of Nations.
The fact that he only has two years left on his contract is perhaps the real reason behind this somewhat strange Man Utd link – his representatives may be trying to put pressure on Lazio to hand him a new deal.
Would Dele-Bashiru be a good signing?
If you were to take a less cynical view of the situation, you could argue that Dele-Bashiru is perhaps being considered by Man Utd because director Jason Wilcox knows him from his time in the Man City academy.
He obviously wouldn’t be a starter, but he could be a solid enough depth option. However, according to analytics firm SciSports, even that is a tenuous suggestion at best.
Data from SciSports shows that Dele-Bashiru is well below the level required to play for Man Utd. SciSports analyses hundreds of in-game data points to generate a SciSkill level and a player’s potential.
Dele-Bashiru has a significantly lower rating than any current Man Utd midfielder, suggesting that he would be a significant downgrade on Casemiro – and even compared to Ugarte and Mount.
Perhaps somewhat harshly, SciSports data suggests that Dele-Bashiru was among the worst-performing midfielders in Serie A in 2025/26. A move to Man Utd just doesn’t make sense.
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