Kenan Yildiz: Man United battling fierce rivals for Juventus ace | OneFootball

Manchester United have enjoyed a mixed start to life under Ruben Amorim, who took charge at the Theatre of Dreams in November last year.

While the Portuguese head coach arrived from Sporting with a glowing reputation, things haven’t been so rosy at Old Trafford so far. The Premier League giants ended up 15th in the league table at the end of last campaign, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.

INEOS opted to keep their faith in Amorim despite the team’s struggles and even backed him in the summer transfer market.

The Portuguese was keen to upgrade his attack, and in came Matheus Cunha, Benjamin Sesko and Bryan Mbeumo. However, even after spending over £200m on new signings, United have endured a rocky start to the 2025/26 season.

Amorim’s team yet to get going

United have lost three of their first six games across competitions this season, which includes the humiliating defeat to Grimsby Town in the EFL Cup Second Round. In the Premier League, the Red Devils have managed two wins and two defeats in their five games and are currently tenth in the league table.

Interestingly, those losses have come against Arsenal and Manchester City, while they secure a win over Chelsea on Saturday. The team has shown signs of improvement compared to last season, although there’s still a long way to go.

The Red Devils are likely to consider adding more creativity to their roster in 2026, and one player they could move for is Kenan Yildiz.

The Premier League giants were also linked with the Turkish youngster earlier this year, although he ended up staying at Juventus. However, United have retained their interest in Yildiz ahead of 2026.

United among three clubs eyeing Yildiz

According to Bianconera News, United have already stepped up their efforts to secure a move for the player.

Yildiz enjoyed a superb 2024/25 campaign with the Bianconeri, registering 12 goals and nine assists across 52 games in all competitions. And he started this season where he left off, racking up two goals and four assists from five games for the Serie A giant.

The 20 year old’s efforts have earned him admirers at Old Trafford, although Arsenal and Chelsea are apparently in the race as well.

All three Premier League giants have reached out to the player’s camp to understand the requirements of a deal. However, Juventus have no desire to let Yildiz go and are now working to tie him down to a new deal.

The Turkish forward, who is versatile enough to operate in multiple positions in attack and midfield, is under contract at Turin until 2029. The player is settled at the club, but the Italian giants are leaving nothing to chance.

The Bianconeri are working on a new deal until 2030 with a significant pay hike, which will see his annual wages, which stand at €1.5m, rise to €6m. They will hope that it will be enough to keep Yildiz’s suitors at bay.

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