Who is Manchester United and Chelsea target Marcel Sabitzer?

Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea are both running the rule over taking Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer to England before the transfer window closes later on Tuesday. The former have reportedly entered talks to sign the Austrian international, while the latter are waiting to see what happens in their ongoing pursuit of Argentina’s World Cup-winning midfielder Enzo Fernández.

Both clubs are in need of strengthening in the midfield department, with the Red Devils’ Christian Eriksen set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines having suffered an ankle injury in his team’s FA Cup victory over Reading on Saturday. The Dane’s enforced absence means that a space has opened up in the United midfield alongside Casemiro, with neither Fred nor Scott McTominay appearing to have the full trust of manager Erik Ten Hag.

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Chelsea, meanwhile, have been the biggest movers in the January transfer market but, despite spending over $200 million over the course of the last few weeks, they aren’t done yet and are also keen for new recruits in midfield, especially with Jorginho likely to join Arsenal. Argentinian Fernández is their number one target but that transfer saga has rumbled on and on; will they get it over the line before the deadline closes?

Sky Germany have reported that the Blues are considering Sabitzer as a potential alternative to Fernández but they’ll face competition from Old Trafford for his signature. The Austrian hasn’t been a regular starter this season for Bayern Munich, who are willing to let him leave the club either on loan or permanently, depending on the terms of the deal. United’s preference is for a loan move and they appear to be the frontrunners.

Who is Manchester United and Chelsea target Marcel Sabizter?

Sabitzer has earned 68 caps for Austria, scoring 12 times, and featured at both Euro 2016 and Euro 2020. The Bayern Munich man is known for his versatility, having regularly played different roles (central midfield, defensive midfield, attacking midfield, second striker, winger) for both club and country over the years. Sabitzer followed in the footsteps of his father Henfried, who also played for Austria on six occasions in the 1990s.

The 28-year-old began his career in his homeland with Admira Wacker and spent the first six seasons playing in the Austrian Bundesliga, the last of which saw him score 27 goals in 51 matches in all competitions while on loan at Red Bull Salzburg in 2014-15.

That was the beginning of his link-up with the Red Bull group as his superb form in Salzburg earned him a recall to RB Leipzig, who had bought him permanently in 2014 and at that time were still in Bundesliga 2. Sabitzer became a key player in the club’s rise through the ranks to become one of Germany’s most competitive clubs and his impressive form in the Bundesliga convinced Bayern Munich to fork out €16 million for his services in 2021.

As the above graphic from our lovely friends at Sofascore shows, Sabitzer has been unable to cement himself as a regular in the Bayern side, starting in only 20 of his 54 appearances for the club and playing just 38 minutes per game on average. The Austrian has played from the off in only seven of 18 Bundesliga matches in 2022-23 and would undoubtedly welcome more game time elsewhere.