Manchester United report: Tariq Lamptey set to arrive as Ralf Rangnick's first signing

Manchester United target Tariq Lamptey
(Image credit: PA)

Manchester United want Tariq Lamptey of Brighton & Hove Albion to be Ralf Rangnick's first signing.

That's according to reports that have emerged, claiming that the young right-back could be the first new face through the door. Lamptey is coming back from an injury lay-off with the Seagulls but is highly-rated and tipped for a big future.

United dropped £50m on Aaron Wan-Bissaka in 2019, with the Croydon-born defender impressing for his astuteness positionally and in the tackle. The former Crystal Palace man has struggled in attack, however, with United sometimes lacking an overlap from right-back.

Lamptey is a much more attacking presence. He is known for his ability going forward as well as defending and would provide an option to work with whoever plays on the right-wing.

Jadon Sancho had a poor start to the season and some of the criticism of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's tactics came from how he structured the righthand side of the pitch.

United were linked with Kieran Trippier in the summer but Lamptey is a much younger player at 21. Lamptey, however, is just 5ft 5 and isn't particularly competent aerially. Wan-Bissaka, in contrast, is 6ft tall.

Lamptey could well cost £30m or more. Brighton bought the defender from Chelsea for under £5m and could see a huge profit from his sale, with the youngster extremely in demand.

Arsenal and Tottenham have both said to be interested in his services in the past. 

Back-up right-back at Old Trafford, Diogo Dalot seems likely to leave the club in the near future. The Portuguese was seemingly untrusted by Solskjaer - despite Wan-Bissaka's poor form - and hasn't adjusted well to English football, since arriving for £20m under Jose Mourinho.

United take on Wan-Bissaka's former employers Crystal Palace this weekend. 

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.