Antonio Rudiger has called Nathaniel Brown a 'monster' as the player Manchester United scouted reportedly edges closer to joining Bayern Munich. United tracked the Eintracht Frankfurt full-back last season, though he is believed to have reached an agreement over personal terms with the Bundesliga title holders.
The 23-year-old Brown is currently linking up alongside Rudiger for Germany at the World Cup. Brown assisted Nico Schlotterbeck from a corner, which turned out to be the decisive goal against Curacao, before finding the net himself in their commanding 7-1 victory. His tally now stands at 12 goal contributions across all competitions.
Rudiger Praises Brown
Rudiger admits Brown has exceeded his expectations. When questioned about his colleague, the ex-Chelsea centre-back remarked: 'I don't need to say much about him, I'm positively surprised. I saw how he shut down Antonie Semenyo in March.' Rudiger is referencing Germany's friendly against Ghana earlier in the year, when Brown faced the Manchester City attacker in their 2-1 triumph.
The defender went on to say Brown is a 'very calm character off the pitch, but on the pitch, he's a monster. These young lads are already very far ahead for their age.' Rudiger is not the only one taken with the full-back's abilities.
Interested Clubs
Barcelona and Real Madrid are both understood to hold an interest in Brown. Liverpool have reportedly watched him too, alongside United. Yet it's Bayern who appear closest to securing his signature. Brown has reportedly given his verbal agreement to a five-year contract following constructive talks with the club's head coach, Vincent Kompany.
Bayern and Eintracht are still in negotiations over a £48million deal, with Sky Germany reporting that an agreement is imminent. Should a deal be struck, United will need to look elsewhere, with Newcastle United's Lewis Hall understood to be another option they have their eye on this summer.
United's Left-Back Priority
With Patrick Dorgu likely to feature more as a winger next season, Luke Shaw would be left as their sole left-back option. This is why United are making the signing of a player in that position a priority this summer. However, Newcastle have already offloaded Anthony Gordon to Barcelona this summer. As a result, they are not necessarily under pressure to sell Hall following that £69million deal.
Adding to the complexity, Sandro Tonali has also been linked with a departure after the club missed out on qualification for UEFA competition last season. Nick Woltemade could also be someone they cash in on.
