Bayer Leverkusen have officially announced the signing of Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah for a fee worth £1.5 million. The player has signed a deal with the German club for the next three years, which will see him feature for Leverkusen till 2024.
Fosu-Mensah came through the ranks at Ajax’s prestigious youth academy and was picked up by Manchester United in 2014. He has since been sent out on loan to Fulham and Crystal Palace, and has managed to find a bit of game time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, having spent the entirety of the 19/20 season, as well as the first half of the ongoing season as part of the first team.
The player, 23, operates primarily as a right-back and can also play as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder as required.
“In the last few days I’ve talked a lot with the coach and conversations… have convinced me that there are great prospects in Leverkusen,” Fosu-Mensah said in a statement.
“Both for me personally and for us as a team. That will be really exciting.”
“Timothy Fosu-Mensah is a technically adept, fast and physically strong defender who can be used both as a right-back and in the centre,” Leverkusen’s sporting director Simon Rolfes said.
“With his signing, we have signed another top alternative for the defence after the absences of Santiago Arias and Mitchell Weiser, not just for the short term. Tim is still young and capable of development. He will also help us in the future.”
Fosu-Mensah rejected a deal from Manchester United at the beginning of the season, and was set to become a free agent at the end of the current season. While the fee that United received for him is still minimal, it is better than losing a young talent like the Dutchman on a free.
