In light of rumours that Manchester United is hoping to sign one of their competitors’ top players this summer, it appears like the Red Devils are eager to add to Leeds United’s recent relegation problems.

A report from the Italian outlet TuttoMercatoWeb claims that Erik ten Hag would ‘gladly’ bring Tyler Adams to Old Trafford if the Red Devils were to become one of the ‘illustrious suitors’ considering a move for the midfield guru.

This comes following a Football Insider story that claimed United were among the clubs interested in signing the 24-year-old ahead of the upcoming campaign. The 36-cap ace was headed for an exit after just one season at Elland Road.

According to the article, if a deal were to be reached, the former RB Leipzig player—who moved to Yorkshire last summer for £20 million—would run the Carabao Cup winners almost £35 million.

Who might Adams at Man United replace?

Ten Hag appears to be looking for a “younger” midfield recruit, like Adams, which may be the end for one of the club’s more seasoned players. Meanwhile, Brazilian mystery Fred may be on the move this summer.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the playmaker, 30, is a target for recent rivals Fulham. Fulham manager Marco Silva was reportedly observed speaking with the playmaker after Sunday’s match at Old Trafford.

The former Shakhtar Donetsk player has been at the Theatre of Dreams for five years, but the £52 million acquisition has recently slipped down the midfield pecking order, starting only two of the last 13 Premier League games since the 7-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool.

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The miserable loss at Anfield exposed the £120,000-per-week asset’s problems since, in Jack Gallagher’s words, he was just a “non-entity.” As a result, it’s probably not surprising that Ten Hag is thought to want to offload him this summer.

The signing of Adams, who has been hailed by analyst Noel Whelan as “one of the best defensive midfielders in the league,” may so offer a slight improvement over the small threat.

The “aggressive” ace, as praised by Whelan, ended in joint-fourth place in the division with Casemiro for tackles made (89), which is a testament to his ball-winning skills. This was despite missing the last few months of the season due to injury.

Adams, unsurprisingly, ranks in the top 1% of players in his position throughout the top five leagues in Europe for tackles made, with Fred behind significantly as he only rates in the top 3%.

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The fact that the latter won just 48% of his ground battles and 50% of his aerial battles in the 2022–23 season, while the New Yorker averaged 55% and 64% for those same two metrics, respectively, serves as more evidence of his better defensive ability.

Adams did notably average one critical pass per game as a reflection of his creative abilities in his deep-lying slot, with that superior to the current United man, who averaged just 0.9 important passes per game, despite not recording an assist this season.

With such skill both in and out of possession, it would seem sensible for Ten Hag to switch the 5’7″ midfielder to the Leeds sensation for the upcoming campaign.