Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal ‘still interested’ in talented Serie A defender despite bumper deal
Man Utd, Man City and Arsenal target Michael Kayode of Fiorentina
Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal all reportedly remain interested in right-back Michael Kayode despite him signing a new contract with Fiorentina.
The talented 19-year-old is considered to be one of the best young defenders in Italy after he has put in some excellent performances in recent weeks.
Kayode has been one of the breakout starts of the 2023/24 Serie A season so far, standing out in his six appearances for Fiorentina.
He was particularly impressive in the Italian side’s recent 3-1 victory over title-holders Napoli, in which he kept their superstar winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at bay.
As well as shining for Fiorentina, Kayode has put in some excellent performances for Italy’s youth teams recently. He scored the winning goal in the final of the Under-19 European Championships back in July and recently earned his first Under-21 call-up.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise to see Premier League clubs queuing up to sign Kayode. They may have to pay a big fee for him, however, as he has just signed a new contract with Fiorentina which is valid until 2028.
Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal remain interested in Kayode
According to 90min, Man Utd, Man City, Arsenal, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter and SSC Napoli have all scouted Kayode in recent months.
As a result of the interest in the youngster, Fiorentina decided to tie him down to a new five-year contract. They recently released a statement confirming the deal.
“ACF Fiorentina is pleased to announce that Michael Kayode has extended his contract,” the statement read. Reports suggest that the defender has seen his salary rise from €30,000 per year to around €1m per year.
Despite this, 90min insist that Kayode’s suitors are still keen to sign him in the future.
The report notes that the likes of Man Utd, Man City and Arsenal see Kayode as a ‘potentially a ‘special’ player in the long-term.
It’s claimed that the the new contract is seen as ‘a mechanism to lock in the player’s value on the transfer market’ rather than ‘a sign that Kayode will not be available to purchase any time soon.’
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Man Utd, Man City or Arsenal test Fiorentina’s resolve with a bid for the talented full-back in the January window.
