Manchester United are reportedly keen on signing Super Eagles-eligible centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo in the summer. The Red Devils are aiming to overhaul their defence ahead of the next season, and have identified the Fulham defender as a player who fits the bill.
Adarabioyo has been playing in the Premier League for the last three-and-a-half years since joining the Cottagers from Manchester City in October 2020. The 26-year-old joined the Manchester City academy at the age of five, and spent 18 years with the Cityzens before seeking pastures anew due to a lack of first-team opportunities.
Having been farmed out on loan to West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers, Adarabioyo decided to leave Manchester City with one year left on his contract and has since established himself as a regular at Fulham.
The defender has played over 100 games for the Cottagers, and has developed into a key player under manager Marco Silva while helping Fulham maintain their Premier League status in the last four years.
Manchester United could sign Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer
Adarabioyo has once again enjoyed an impressive campaign this term, where he has made 25 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals. His outstanding displays have led to links with some Premier League clubs, including Newcastle United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
However, the latest reports suggest Manchester United have also entered the race for the centre-back’s signature. ESPN reports that Erik ten Hag’s side have identified Adarabioyo as a player who could give the club’s defence a huge lift, and will push to sign him on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the season.
The former England youth international has so far refused to sign a contract extension at Fulham, with his current deal set to end in June. Manchester United reportedly view Adarabioyo as an ideal footballer who’ll fit into the progressive style that new owner Sir Kim Ratcliffe wants to institute at the club.
Adarabioyo was described as “fast, strong in the air and [possessing] the quality to look forward behind the line for the next pass” by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola during his time with the Blues The defender is also well-known by Manchester United’s new technical director Jason Wilcox, who worked with Adarabioyo at Manchester City’s academy before joining Southampton as their director of football.
Now at Manchester United, Wilcox is set to lead the overhaul of the club’s aged and injury-prone defence, with Raphael Varane and Jonny Evans set to leave at the end of the season following the expiration of their contracts. The Red Devils are also said to be open to selling one of Harry Maguire or Victor Lindelof, which would clear the way for new arrivals like Adarabioyo.
Fulham resigned to losing Tosin Adarabioyo in the summer
Meanwhile, Fulham are resigned to losing their defender after numerous attempts to sign a new deal proved futile. Adarabioyo signed a one-year contract extension in January 2023 but is determined to leave for free when his current deal expires in the summer.
Fulham boss Marco Silva recently confirmed that the defender may not be at the club next season, insisting it hasn’t been easy trying to convince him to extend his contract.
“Tosin has to be clear about his future when he decides to be clear about his future, and he has to talk about it. Of course we are here to try to prepare as best we can the future of the football club,” Silva said, as quoted by The Standard.
“We haven't hidden that situation that we try to renew with him, not just him but other players near the end of their contracts and it's not been easy. Probably his future is not going to be at the club any more. About that situation, if one day Tosin wants to speak he's going to speak. Right now our focus is on Brentford, (Manchester) City and Luton. I want all of them focused and Tosin is one of them.”
Marco Silva explains Adarabioyo’s recent omission from Fulham squad
Adarabioyo’s reluctance to put pen to paper on a new deal may also have cost him a place in the team after being left out of Fulham's last two Premier League matches. The Cottagers are already guaranteed to finish above the relegation zone, but could still finish in the top half of the table if they win their final two matches.
Adarabioyo’s last game for the club, however, came in their 3-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool on April 21, and he wasn’t even on the bench for the games against Crystal Palace and Brentford. While some have suggested Silva is punishing the centre-back for refusing to sign a new deal, the Fulham manager insists his omission is purely a technical decision.
“Last weekend my decision was a technical decision. I know all the noise around him and his future of course. Of course I have been speaking to him, I have a really close relationship like with all the players and everything is clear between myself and him, like all the other players, and from him to me and my staff as well,” Silva told The Standard.
“If Tosin is going to be on the pitch he's going to be on the pitch, he's going to be in the squad if I'm going decide for him to be in the squad. Nothing has changed from last week.
“When it starts to come, the news that he's not going to be with us next season, I know what he told me, I prefer to keep that between us. Of course, that's a decision from the player. But apart from that Tosin is ready to play or to be in the squad if I decide for him to be there.” Adarabioyo was born in Manchester and represented England at youth level, but is still eligible to play for Nigeria, having never been capped by the Three Lions.
