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The blockbuster £51m Man United transfer that could supercharge Premier League title race Manchester United are said to be tracking one of France’s finest midfielders - but will they be able to get a transfer over the line? It’s been a few weeks since the first pieces of the puzzle fell into place for Manchester United, with the signings of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos - but the much sought-after third midfielder is proving a little more elusive. With Casemiro leaving on a free transfer and Manuel Ugarte out for the foreseeable future with a knee ligament injury, another midfielder is seen as necessity by the transfer team at Old Trafford. Now, after much searching, they might have finally settled on a particular target. Actually signing him, however, might not be all that easy. Will Manchester United sign Lamine Camara this summer? Several recent reports suggest that Manchester United are among the clubs interested in striking a deal for Monaco’s Lamie Camara, a Senegal international midfielder who has been among the standout performers in Ligue 1 over the past two seasons. Getting hold of him won’t be easy, however. Partly that’s because the Red Devils face some stiff competition. Liverpool and Chelsea are both alleged to be interested along with several other elite European sides across the continent. Crystal Palace have even launched an ambitious bid of their own, although their first offer was knocked back immediately. Palace supposedly offered €35m (£30m), a figure that turned out to be far too low. Sport Witness now cite fresh stories from France in suggesting that Monaco will demand a minimum of €60m (£51m). Camara won’t come cheap. It’s a baseline figure which, although unverified, would reflect both his importance to Monaco’s midfield and the fact that he still has three years left on his contract. The French outfit have already lost fellow midfielder Aladji Bamba to Newcastle, and won’t sell for anything less than top dollar. Sport Witness’ report also suggests that Camara isn’t pushing to leave this season, with Monaco keen to hold on for another year before bowing to the inevitable. If Manchester United want to get a deal done, they will have to find the extra-large chequebook. The club have, thus far, avoided paying over the odds for players. They allowed themselves to be outbid by Tottenham Hotspur when pursuing Mateus Fernandes, for instance, and are keen not to overspend as they seek reinforcements in multiple positions. Given that Camara’s situation and the level of potential competition will only drive the 22-year-old price up, it won’t be an easy deal to get done. But would it be worth it? Why Camara could elevate Manchester United’s midfield A highly energetic box-to-box midfielder, Camara has a very similar profile to Fernandes and likely appeals for similar reasons – this is a player who can impact every phase of play for the full 90 minutes. A pressing machine who forces a high volume of turnovers (he averaged 6.6 ball recovers per match in France last season), Camara has excellent judgement in the tackle, is strong in one-on-one situations and reads the game well. He also has the stamina to run himself into the ground from first whistle to last, essential given his full-tilt playing style. He backs his work out of possession up with strong technique, a fine passing range and the creativity and precision to create chances. A capable dribbler who seldom mislays the ball, Camara’s passing over distance is outstanding, helping him to spark counter-attacks and exploit high defensive lines. The result has been 11 assists in 53 league matches since moving to Monaco two years ago, along with five goals. Ignoring his lack of impact in the air – Camara stands at just 5’8” tall and isn’t a factor in he penalty area – the Senegalese essentially has no meaningful weakness and, at 22, has plenty of room to develop further. The only strike against him from Manchester United’s perspective might be that he isn’t a natural anchor man, arguably the kind of player they’re still missing as they work to replace Casemiro. Camara isn’t a midfielder who holds his position to create chances for a midfield partner to stay further forward – and Casemiro’s willingness to stay back was partly what freed up Kobbie Mainoo to connect so effectively with the forwards after Michael Carrick took charge. That would have been the case with Fernandes too, of course, had United won the race to sign him. Carrick seems to have calculated that a true anchoring player may not be a necessity – and if that’s the case, and they are actively looking to recruit a box-to-box player, then it’s hard to come up with a convincing argument against Camara. He is both talented and highly effective already. As it stands, it doesn’t look like an easy transfer to make, and even if Monaco are prepared to listen to offers it’s perfectly possible that other teams come over the top – Chelsea, for instance, look increasingly likely to need a replacement for Enzo Fernández before deadline day, with the Argentine potentially moving to Manchester City. If Manchester United can get a deal done, however, it might be a very fine decision indeed.