Manchester United have added Lazio midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru to their midfield shortlist, with the Nigeria international open to a Premier League move and Lazio prepared to listen to offers of around £15 million.
According to Sky Sports, sources close to the 25-year-old believe he is open to returning to English football should a suitable opportunity arise. He is currently settled in Rome but the prospect of Premier League football is described as appealing.
Dele-Bashiru's career has taken an unconventional path to Serie A. Born in Lagos, he joined Manchester City's academy at the age of eight and spent eleven years at the Etihad campus. He departed for Sheffield Wednesday in July 2020 without making a senior appearance for City, and signed for the Yorkshire club when Wednesday were in League One.
He played a significant role in Wednesday's promotion to the Championship in 2022-23 and left the club when his contract expired in the summer of 2023, joining Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor on a free transfer. Following Hatayspor's relegation from the top flight, he moved to Lazio in the summer of 2024 — initially on loan before the deal was made permanent a year later for approximately €7 million.
Across two seasons in Rome, Dele-Bashiru has contributed seven goals and four assists in 57 appearances. He has 18 senior caps for Nigeria, was part of the squad that finished third at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, and was called up for the Nigeria team's recent international preparations.
He has two years remaining on his Lazio contract. The Italian club are prepared to listen to offers in the region of €18 million.
Manchester United's midfield is being rebuilt wholesale. Casemiro has departed. The club have agreed a deal with Atalanta for Brazilian midfielder Éderson and are seeking a further signing in the middle of the park. Dele-Bashiru is described as lower down the priority list than targets such as Elliot Anderson and West Ham United's Mateus Fernandes, but would represent a significantly more affordable option.
The appeal to manager Michael Carrick is a player who is defensively robust, passes at a high completion rate and brings senior European experience to a squad that needs depth.