Manchester United are reportedly considering an approach for 20-year-old Lecce wing-back Patrick Dorgu, who is already highly regarded by fellow Dane Rasmus Hojlund.
Having joined Lecce in 2022, young defender Dorgu has quickly progressed into one of Serie A’s most highly sought-after starlets. He was voted Denmark's Talent of the Year for 2024 by fellow pros – including Red Devils forward Hojlund – and put top Premier League sides on notice.
Both Tottenham and Chelsea were said to be courting Dorgu during the summer transfer window, and Liverpool, who are desperate for stronger left-back cover with Andy Robertson entering the twilight of his career, have also been linked.
Yet, despite this, the 20-year-old, who is valued at up to £42m, has seemingly made his way onto United’s radar.
During the latter stages of 2024, Dorgu received the most votes from his fellow Danish stars, including United striker Hojlund, which saw him claim the Talent of the Year award – an award won by the Red Devils forward back in 2023.
The marksman, who was supplanted by Dorgu, would evidently welcome a move if his voting of the defender is to be considered, but he isn’t the only one who sees him as a talent for the future.
Lecce’s sporting director, Pantaleo Corvino, also admitted in December that, though he is insistent the player will remain with his club this month, he knows he is a ‘potential champion’ and one of the most versatile and promising youngsters around.
“Dorgu is a potential champion. Correction: he is a champion,” Corvino told Gazzetta dello Sport. “Left or right winger, he runs like three players and can find the goal." Excitingly for United fans, who are watching players work much harder under Ruben Amorim, Corvino added: "He has an engine that no one else has.”
This message, sent to not just United but all those who have held an apparent interest in the player, should be welcomed – and Corvino was quick to acknowledge that such admirers do, in fact, exist.
“A player like him has admirers, of course, and there are plenty of them, even abroad. But Dorgu will stay here, and then we’ll talk about it in the summer because his destiny is already set – his future belongs to him.”
Despite the director’s firm stance on Dorgu remaining at Lecce this window, Give Me Sport reported that should Amorim’s side make a move for the wide defender, he would be ‘unlikely’ to reject such a transfer.
Amorim has struggled to find a player to take up either of the wing-back roles that are so crucial to his system, with Noussair Mazraoui not standing out and Diogo Dalot – fresh off of a sending off against Arsenal in the FA Cup – also likely falling lower in his estimations.