Manchester United and Brentford have both been told they are in the running to sign Christian Eriksen, who is yet to make a decision on his future.
i understands that Brentford have been told they are still very much an option for Eriksen, who transformed their first season in the Premier League.
But he is also interested in the opportunity presented by Manchester United, who are rebuilding under Erik ten Hag and have aspirations to sign Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona and another striker.
“Everyone’s pretty much in the dark about his next decision other than he has a lot of options,” one source with knowledge of negotiations told i.
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Brentford and Manchester United are among a clutch of teams who have made approaches to Eriksen, with Everton and Newcastle also making enquiries. The Denmark international has overseas options but would prefer to stay in the Premier League.
Eriksen’s representatives have told potential suitors that money is not a driver in his decision, rather his prime motivation is that he wants to play regularly and enjoy his football.
The prospect of playing in the World Cup for Denmark, who are among the dark horses in Qatar, is at the forefront of his mind and he wants to arrive at the tournament in the best possible shape – which means being given a platform to perform at whatever club he signs for.
Crucially for Brentford and Manchester United, he is open to signing for a team that cannot offer Champions League football.
Brentford presented a contract offer to Eriksen before the end of the season and the club would welcome him back with open arms. Their sales pitch is understood to have centred around being the player that they would build around, offering him the chance to be the central part of a progressive, forward-thinking club who are prepared to invest again this summer to improve on their 13th place finish in the Premier League.
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Eriksen knows the club suits his style and the player enjoyed his football under Thomas Frank with a heavy Danish contingent in the dressing room.
Spurs were being backed as the likely destination for Eriksen at the start of the summer but it emerged on Monday that Tottenham’s interest in re-signing Eriksen had cooled after initial contact was made with the Denmark midfielder’s representatives at the start of June.
Antonio Conte appears to have prioritised other areas of the team as Spurs aim to build a team capable of improving on last year’s fourth place finish.
The player himself is now on holiday and no final decision has been indicated to any of the clubs that have made approaches.
The scramble for Eriksen’s services comes little over a year since he collapsed with a cardiac arrest during Denmark’s group game in Euro 2020 against Finland. He was fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator which will administer a mini-shock if it detects an abnormal rhythm.
Brentford’s initial move for Eriksen was dubbed one of the most complicated signings in football after the club took legal and medical advice on how best to protect the player. There needs to be a defibrillator and a trained operator close to the player at all times during training and matches.
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