Man United Transfer News: Manchester United have jumped headfirst into the race for Roma defender Evan Ndicka, looking to beat rivals Liverpool to the punch. Reports coming out of Italy suggest the battle for his signature is heating up, with United making a formal inquiry to land the Ivory Coast international for a fee around £39 million. This sudden interest puts United right in the mix with Tottenham and Liverpool, both of whom have kept tabs on the former Eintracht Frankfurt man for a few years now.

European football expert Andy Brassell recently noted on talkSPORT that the 26-year-old is a rare market opportunity United shouldn’t pass up. Brassell points out that the French-born centre-back is still one of the most underrated defenders in Europe, even after a string of top-tier performances in Serie A. Since moving to Roma on a free transfer, he has become a dependable, physically imposing presence in their backline.

Because Roma are currently under pressure to meet UEFA financial rules, they will likely have to sell a big-name player this summer to fix the books. This gives United a massive opening to take advantage of Roma’s money troubles and grab a...