'Tap him up!' - Paul Merson tells Manchester United board to exploit Chelsea

Manchester United should exploit the uncertainity at Chelsea by ‘tapping up’ Thomas Tuchel.

That’s according to Paul Merson, who believes the Red Devils would be negligent not to attempt to speak to the German about moving to Old Trafford.

United want to appoint a new manager by the end of the season, with Mauricio Pochettino and Erik Ten Hag the frontrunners for the position.

But, with Chelsea unable to sign or sell players after the sanctions on owner Roman Abramovich, Tuchel faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge and could be open to leaving.

Merson believes the German is a perfect fit for Old Trafford and United bosses should already be ‘tapping up’ the former Dortmund boss.

‘If I’m Man United, I’d be all over the manager: this manager is top drawer, I don’t care what anybody says,’ said Merson on Sky Sports.

‘I think he is world, world class and if I was Man United now I’d be tapping him up straight away.’

United hope to speak to Pochettino and Ten Hag in the coming weeks, with the club wishing to make an announcement before the season finishes to give clarity to the squad.

The players are said to favour the Argentine but his reputation has taken a hit after Paris Saint-Germain’s capitulation against Real Madrid in the Champions League.

Ajax, on the other hand, lead the Dutch league and have conceded just 11 goals in 26 matches this term, scoring 77 along the way.

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