Manchester United and Liverpool are among the teams interested in signing Hoffenheim attacking midfielder Christoph Baumgartner, according to SportBild.
The German tabloid claims the two Premier League clubs have the Austrian international “on the list” of summer transfer targets, along with Sevilla and Leicester.
United were first linked with Baumgartner in the 2021 January transfer window when some sections of the English media dubbed him the “new Michael Ballack.”
There are some similarities with the former Bayern Munich and Chelsea player in that the Austrian does chip in with a fair few goals (nine last season and six this campaign).
Whether Baumgartner would actually be the type of midfielder that United actuallly need, it is debatable. He isn’t defensive-minded and would probably be an alternative to Bruno Fernandes.
That isn’t exactly a position that needs to be filled, especially if incoming manager Erik ten Hag reintegrates Donny van de Beek into the first-team squad following his loan spell at Everton.
