With a third bid rejected for Mason Mount, Manchester United could be set to move on from trying to sign the Chelsea star as Erik ten Hag looks at alternative targets ahead of next season.
What’s the latest on Taylor Booth to ManUnited?
According to ESPN, the Old Trafford side could turn to FC Utrecht midfielder Taylor Booth as an enquiry has been made with regard to a potential move during the summer transfer window.
He has a contract at the Dutch side until 2025 and with no fee mentioned, it is unclear how much the American youngster could cost. Although, with Chelsea demanding around £58m, plus £7m in add-ons for Mount, Booth will be valued at a cheaper sum.
Who is Taylor Booth?
Following Chelsea’s recent demands, a move is looking unlikely now, despite the Englishman favouring a move to the Red Devils, and the Dutchman will have to turn to other targets before it’s too late.
Booth was first linked with United way back in February, but it appears as though these links have never gone away, and he could now be an ideal alternative to Mount.
Over the previous 365 days, Booth has displayed his attacking attributes by ranking in the top 2% for progressive carries per 90 (3.25), top 11% for successful take-ons per 90 (1.45) and top 17% for total shots per 90 (1.56) across the next eight leagues in Europe and these figures suggest that he enjoys getting the ball forward as often as possible, while enjoying great success at one on one duels.
Mount, across the big five European leagues, comparatively ranks in the top 15% for progressive carries per 90 (2.41), top 8% for total shots per 90 (2.02) and in just the top 40% for successful take ons per 90 (0.86), indicating that Booth would be a more than adequate alternative for the Englishman.
The 22-year-old has already earned two caps for the United States and enjoyed a stellar campaign for Utrecht last season where he contributed two goals and four assists and showed his versatile nature by playing across four positions and this could be a bonus for Ten Hag should he turn his attention towards the youngster.
His form during 2022/2023 led broadcaster Maximiliano Bretos to state that he was now “getting the rock star treatment at Utrecht” but with only 46 senior appearances behind him, he is still very much in the embryonic stages of his career.
The 5 foot 8 gem may not be the finished article yet, but Ten Hag could take his game to the next level should he move to United, no doubt about it.