Manchester United have upper hand in pursuit of long-time Liverpool target

In what could spell a setback for both Liverpool and Arsenal's ambitions in the transfer market, Manchester United now appear to be at the front of the queue in the battle to sign Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram.

Writing in CaughtOffside, Ligue 1 journalist Jonathan Johnson explained how Manchester United's ties with Ineos, the majority owner of Nice, might tilt the balance in favour of the Red Devils not only for Thuram, but potentially other talents from the French side, including centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo.

Certainly, the Sir Jim Ratcliffe links would give the Red Devils the upper hand in any negotiations should coach Erik ten Hag express an interest in any of the Cote d'Azur side's players.

Long-standing interest

Thuram, who has been attracting interest from several European powerhouses, was a major target for Liverpool last summer as they sought to rebuild their midfield after the departures of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

However, when the window finally concluded, Thuram didn't make it through the door at Anfield. Instead, Liverpool 2.0 was launched with the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo.

That said, Liverpool continue to be linked with a number of midfielders from around the world.

Arsenal and PSG links

Should Liverpool's new coach, whoever that may be, decide to convert the club's scouts' admiration into concrete interest, the Reds could also face competition from Arsenal, with the Gunners eyeing him as a suitable long-term replacement for the injury-plagued Thomas Partey.

Paris Saint-Germain could also be in the mix, but if Nice were to qualify for the Champions League next season (they're currently second in the Ligue 1 table), this could further complicate any potential transfer negotiations.

Not only would it inflate the 22-year-old's market value, but allowing him to remain in the south of France for the sake of his development could also become an interesting proposition.