Manchester United are preparing a £35million offer for Waldemar Anton, with Michael Carrick said to have endorsed the move. The 29-year-old Borussia Dortmund defender is under contract until June 2028, so this is not a simple availability story. It is a case of whether United can persuade Dortmund to sell a player they rate highly.

Carrick's case for Anton

The strongest argument for Anton is straightforward. He is mainly a right-sided centre-half, but he can also play at right-back, which gives United a bit of flexibility on the right side of defence. At 29, he fits the profile of a ready-made signing rather than a long-term project.

Carrick, who has earned the United job permanently, has endorsed the club moving for Anton, as he can "easily envisage" the defender starring at Old Trafford. That support matters because it suggests this is not just another name on a list. United are being told there is a football case for the move, not only a market one.

Anton has made 14 appearances for Germany, which adds to the sense that United are looking at an established defender rather than a speculative bet.

Dortmund's resistance and United's defence

The problem is Borussia Dortmund do not look keen to lose him. Nico Kovac has no intention of doing that, and there is also talk of Dortmund wanting to agree a new deal. That is the real hurdle, not Anton's fit.

United's interest also sits inside a wider defensive rebuild. Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martínez, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven and Matthijs de Ligt are already there, and de Ligt has had persistent injury problems. Even so, the club still looks open to another centre-half because depth has been an issue, not a luxury.

The £35million figure being discussed is a serious one, but Dortmund's contract position gives them leverage. United may be willing to test that, yet the German club have every reason to make the move expensive or complicated.

United finished third in the Premier League and collected 71 points, so the logic behind strengthening the back line is clear enough. The next step is whether Anton stays a target or becomes a deal Dortmund force into a longer summer.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →