Man Utd Target Hugo Larsson as Their Own Jude Bellingham

Manchester United missed out on Jude Bellingham in the summer of 2020, and the consequences of that failure have shaped the club’s midfield strategy ever since. With Bellingham now starring for England at the World Cup, scoring six goals en route to the semi-finals, the gap between where United are and where they could have been is stark. INEOS appear to have identified a player who can begin to address that gap: Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson.

The 22-year-old Swede has emerged as a transfer target, with Football Transfers reporting that United have opened talks with the player’s representatives. Newcastle United are also in contact, and Frankfurt, with three years remaining on his contract, are under no pressure to sell. A fee in the region of €50m (£42m) is expected.

The Bellingham comparison has genuine analytical backing. Ben Mattinson, an analyst and scout at Como, described Larsson as “very similar to Bellingham statistically” during his time at Malmö, and the Swede was floated as a candidate to replace Bellingham at Borussia Dortmund before ultimately joining Frankfurt in the summer of 2023. Since then, he has made 110 appearances for the German club, contributing 17 goals and assists combined.

Bellingham’s own path is now well-documented. United, under Ed Woodward, pulled out all the stops to sign the then-17-year-old in 2020. Club legends including Eric Cantona and Sir Alex Ferguson were reportedly involved in recruitment conversations. Bryan Robson admitted United “thought [they] had him.” Instead, Bellingham chose Dortmund, spent three years developing there, then moved to Real Madrid, where he has since won the Champions League and become one of the best midfielders in the world.

United’s history of near-misses in the transfer market does not stop with Bellingham. The club opted against pursuing Harry Kane in 2023, the same summer Declan Rice joined Arsenal. More recently, Manchester City beat INEOS to the signing of Elliot Anderson, a £116m deal that made the midfielder one of the most expensive in Premier League history, with Anderson now performing as one of Tuchel’s key players at the World Cup.

Against that backdrop, the pursuit of Larsson reflects a deliberate shift in approach. Rather than competing for marquee signings at inflated prices, United are targeting players with clear developmental upside. The same logic applied to the signing of Andrey Santos. Patrick Dorgu and Senne Lammens arrived without widespread recognition and have since become part of the squad fabric.

Larsson is a physically imposing box-to-box midfielder standing at 6 foot 2. His 2024/25 data placed him in the top 12% among midfielders across Europe’s big five leagues for both progressive and forward passes completed per 90 minutes. His pass accuracy across 2025/26 sat at 87%, a figure that compares well against established United midfielders; Casemiro’s pass completion rate in the Premier League last term was just 81%.

His 2025/26 output, four goal contributions from 21 Bundesliga starts, was modest but not alarming for a player still developing within a system. He did not make Sweden’s World Cup squad, which has fed some scepticism around his valuation. Frankfurt’s asking price of roughly £42m will require United to back their own scouting conviction.

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Michael Carrick will have Bruno Fernandes and Kobbie Mainoo as his midfield foundation next season, with Santos and Youri Tielemans also part of the picture. Adding Larsson would give United a physical, progressive presence that their current options do not provide. Whether he reaches Bellingham’s level is a long-term question. The more immediate one is whether INEOS can land a player they have identified before a rival does. Follow TipsGG for continued coverage of United’s transfer activity.