Erik ten Hag ‘looks set to miss out on his first signing after Lyon bid £12m for left-back Tyrell’

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag looks set to miss out on the signature of Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia after a surprise bid from Lyon. 

The Ligue 1 side submitted a £12million bid for the Dutch international, stealing a march on United and their Premier League rivals Newcastle, who were thought to be the two leaders in the race for Malacia. 

The 22-year-old was on a list of targets ten Hag submitted to United after agreeing to join from Ajax, but it would appear that their concentration on signing Frenkie de Jong has seen them slip behind in the race for his compatriot.  

Erik ten Hag had identified Feyenoord’s Tyrell Malacia as a key target before joining from Ajax

Malacia registered five assists last season

The expectation from Feyenoord was that the Red Devils and Newcastle would spark a bidding war with their considerable war chests on the line, but Lyon have beaten them to the first punch by lodging a bid. 

However despite an opening gambit of £12m, they still remain short of the Dutch side’s £15m valuation for the marauding left-back, which leaves Lyon open to counter bids from the Premier League sides.  

Malacia was part of the Feyenoord side that reached the final of the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League, and played 50 times under former Ajax boss Peter Bosz last season.

Desribed as a “pitbull” in his home country, Malacia’s attacking play style could perfectly suit the offensive possession-based football that ten Hag is likely to implement next season at United, and could leave Luke Shaw sweating over his place at Old Trafford.  

Although ten Hag has identified a number of targets that he wants in order to transform United this summer, they are yet to make a single signing. 

And their rivals have all recruited in key positions, with arch nemeses Liverpool and Manchester City bringing in forwards Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland respectively, as they look set to widen the gap to the rest of the league. 

Former Ajax boss Peter Bosz’s Lyon stole a march on Manchester United with their £12m bid

But with United putting all their efforts into signing de Jong, they appear to run the risk of missing out on a number of other players, such as Malacia. 

Newcastle have also been fairly quiet this window, despite their high-profile big money takeover last season, perhaps resisting the urge to spend too much money too quickly, instead waiting for sensible deals to become available. 

The Magpies have brought in England international goalkeeper Nick Pope, following his relegation with Burnley, for £12m after making Matt Targett’s loan from Aston Villa permanent in a £15.75m deal. 

Eddie Howe’s side were thought to be one of the front-runners for the 22-year-old’s signature