United and Arsenal set for £60m battle to sign Bayer Leverkusen's Ibrahim Maza

Manchester United are tracking Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Ibrahim Maza as a potential January transfer target, with the German club already valuing the 20-year-old at approximately €70 million (£60 million), according to Fussball News.

United face significant competition for Maza’s signature, with Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester City also said to be monitoring his development at Leverkusen, alongside La Liga side Atletico Madrid. None of the clubs are yet reported to have made a formal approach, with all parties understood to be keeping tabs on the Algeria-born midfielder ahead of the winter window opening.

The interest comes despite United having already overhauled their midfield significantly during the summer, bringing in Youri Tielemans, Andrey Santos and Carlos Baleba under manager Michael Carrick. Goalkeeper Karl Darlow was the only other addition across the window.

Leverkusen hold a strong negotiating position. Maza is contracted at the Bundesliga club until the summer of 2030, meaning they are under no obligation to sell in January or at the end of the season, and are unlikely to accept anything below their stated valuation.

City and Arsenal also strengthened their midfields over the summer. City added Ayyoub Bouaddi, Elliott Anderson and Enzo Fernandez, while Arsenal secured Bruno Guimaraes on a permanent deal from Newcastle United.

United’s interest in Maza signals that Carrick’s recruitment team may still view the midfield as an area requiring further depth or quality, even after four additions in the same position within the past few months. Whether any of the interested clubs move from monitoring to a concrete bid when the window opens in January remains to be seen.