Man United face £43m asking price for Tapsoba as Newcastle and Spurs circle

Manchester United have been quoted £43m for Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Edmond Tapsoba, with the Bundesliga club unwilling to sell cheaply but leaving the door open to a suitable financial offer, according to German outlet fussballdaten.

Tapsoba, 27, captains Leverkusen and scored five goals in 29 Bundesliga appearances last season. Despite signing a contract extension earlier this year that runs until 2031, his reported desire for a move has kept transfer speculation alive heading into the final weeks of the window.

Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be in close contact with Tapsoba’s representatives, making this a three-way Premier League pursuit. Newcastle view the Burkina Faso international as a ready-made defensive leader, while fussballdaten describes him as ‘tailor-made’ for clubs that build from the back at high tempo and require a centre-back capable of covering large areas of the pitch.

United were linked with Tapsoba as far back as the summer of 2024, when they ultimately moved for Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt instead. This time around, the club’s primary focus has been on left-back and central midfield, with Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos already through the door at Old Trafford. A central defender of Tapsoba’s profile would represent a significant additional outlay.

Manager Michael Carrick has made clear he wants further reinforcements before the transfer window closes. “We’ve improved the squad in different ways — balance, quality and the direction we want to go in,” Carrick said. “We always want to improve. We want more, we need more. We keep looking forward to how we can do that.”

United’s pursuit of left-back cover has hit early obstacles, with Newcastle rebuffing interest in Lewis Hall and Club Brugge signalling that Joaquin Seys is not available. Whether the club pivot resources toward a centre-back in Tapsoba remains to be seen, though developments in the defender’s future are expected in the coming weeks.