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- 4 hours ago
Man Utd target €25m INEOS star as Amorim makes CLEAR demand
Tom Weber
- Updated: 18 Jun 2025 08:52 CDT
- 5 min read
News
Manchester United scouted OGC Nice midfielder Hicham Boudaoui last week, according to a report.
The Red Devils are in the midst of a summer rebuild, although incomings are materialising slower than initially hoped. So far, the only senior player to arrive has been Matheus Cunha, who was signed for a whopping €74 million.
The significant outlay on the Brazilian, in conjunction with Chelsea winning the race for Liam Delap, has slowed down Man Utd's summer activity as they are operating on a very limited budget.
Current ETV
Hicham Boudaoui
M, DM (C)
Nice
Hicham Boudaoui
M, DM (C)
Nice
ETV Range
€10.4M - €12.7M
Alternative targets have been identified, but most of them cost a pretty penny. Moreover, there are a lot of problem positions that need to be filled, so Man Utd are wary of overspending on targets this summer.
Talks have been held with Bryan Mbeumo to join as a new right-sided attacker, while the striker position remains a pressing priority. However, head coach Ruben Amorim has also demanded that the midfield be beefed up to better cope with the pace and physicality of the Premier League.
Man Utd target Boudaoui
According to The Sun, Man Utd scouted Nice midfielder Hicham Boudaoui in action for Algeria against Sweden last week in their bid to find affordable players.
It is claimed that the 25-year-old could be had for around €23m-€25m this summer, with Man Utd certainly well-placed to land him given INEOS' ownership of Nice, of which they are trying to rid themselves to focus fully on the Red Devils.
However, the problem is that Man Utd can't officially sign Boudaoui until the final day of the summer window, 1 September. Man Utd and Nice both qualified for the Europa League last season, so INEOS had to nominally cut ties with the Ligue 1 side until September 2025 to avoid breaching UEFA multi-club ownership rules.
Boudaoui also has suitors in France, Spain, Germany and elsewhere in England. Given that clubs are generally keen to get their business done early, Nice would probably prefer to have clarity on the Algerian's future before September.
The expert's opinion
Although the above-mentioned report states that Boudaoui is coming off an 'excellent season,' Ligue 1 expert Robin Bairner believes that he was actually fairly underwhelming in the bygone campaign. Nice's asking price is also not in line with his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of just €11.5m.
"Hicham Boudaoui has long been tipped as a player to make it to the highest level, yet the interest of Manchester United at this point in his career comes as something of a surprise," Bairner told FootballTransfers.
"The 25-year-old’s performances last term were largely seen as disappointing, which is why his ETV has dropped. The Algeria international does have raw attributes that would attract Ruben Amorim, though.
"He is known as a player who covers a good deal of ground in the midfield and is primarily a defensive, ball-winning figure who has the engine to go box-to-box.
"Don’t expect a great deal of offensive production from him, despite starting his career as a winger. Nice’s reported asking price of around €25m also looks steep."
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