Manchester United’s sole storyline on transfer deadline day has been the pursuit of Louis Page from Leicester City. 18-year-old Leicester City midfielder Louis Page is ...
Manchester United’s sole storyline on transfer deadline day has been the pursuit of Louis Page from Leicester City.
18-year-old Leicester City midfielder Louis Page is close to a move to Manchester United, with discussions ongoing ahead of the transfer deadline.
Page would be an exciting addition for United and is considered one of the most talented young midfielders in English football.
A deal is progressing quickly, and he could soon be a United player. So here is what to expect, directly from a Leicester City expert.
Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images
United in Focus have spoken to Leicester City expert and GRV Media journalist Mark Marston about Page, asking him what to expect and all about the teenager.
Style of play: “Louis Page is the archetypal box-to-box midfielder who very often arrives in the final third and contributes with goals and assists.
“Of course, much of his best work has been done with the under-21s, but when he’s stepped up to senior level, he’s more than held his own.”
Strengths and weaknesses: “Page’s main strengths are probably his athleticism, ball-carrying ability and finishing from just outside the box. He eats up ground and is so good at winning the ball high up the pitch.
“In terms of his profile, he reminds me a lot of Adrien Rabiot if you were looking for a comparison, although evidently a lot quicker.
“Page’s weaknesses are pretty obvious; just simply having a lack of experience at first-team level. The England youth international will need to sharpen up on his positioning, decision-making, when to jump out and when to stay in shape; just all the basics that come as you get more games under your belt.
“The 18-year-old probably need to fill out his frame as well if he’s to play in the Premier League.”
Leicester view on losing Page: “I’ll be gutted if Page does go, but as it stands, it looks 50/50.
“When United initially registered their interest, I thought we may be able to squeeze £8m out of the deal, considering our most prestigious talent, Jeremy Monga, joined Man City for £10m plus add-ons.
“I’ve read we want £15m to sanction his sale, so I’m not sure you’ll go to that figure. Perhaps it gets done for lower than that if Leicester get a sizable sell-on clause.”
How good can Page be?: “It’s hard to say, because even us Leicester fans have only seen him sparingly. My gut feeling says top 10 Premier League player, but that’s not to say he can’t become an elite-level midfielder with the right development and environment.”
The potential signing of Page is ticking along nicely, and the current update is that he will cost a fee north of the £12m that Jeremy Monga cost Manchester City this summer.
United will also reportedly have to offer a large sell-on clause in the deal and likely send Page back to Leicester on a season-long loan.
This makes signing Page by the deadline less important as a pre-deal could be signed instead, but Ineos clearly want to wrap up the signing of Page sooner rather than later, with Arsenal also keen.
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