Dayot Upamecano is set to join Bayern Munich.

The RB Leipzig defender has reached an agreement with the German giants to move within the Bundesliga as he looks to take the next step in a prodigious career.

Bayern have paid his release clause of £42.5m and he will move in the summer.

There were a number of English clubs linked with moves, too, however, including Manchester United and it has now become clear exactly why manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer opted against pursuing a move for the centre-back.

ESPN reports that Upamecano was a player of interest to United, purely because of the release clause in his deal.

However, Solskjaer wants to sign a left-footed centre-back as he looks to balance his defence.

Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof are his preferred partnership but both are right-footed, meaning that the former is often played on the left. Marcos Rojo is left-footed but he moved to Boca Juniors in February.

United are planning to sign a centre-back in the summer, and if they do, they could sell Phil Jones as they trim their squad.

GIVEMESPORT’S Harry Sherlock says…

While this does smack a tiny bit of a club insisting they didn’t want a player anyway after he’s moved, one can see the sense in the argument.

Maguire is not comfortable using his right foot and, as a result, he is often seen as a lumbering, slow defender, when he is actually trying to sort his feet out.

A move for a left-footer to partner him would bring balance to the team, and also allow Maguire to move back into his preferred position at the heart of the backline.

Upamecano would undoubtedly have been a good signing and he would have improved United, but it would have left Maguire where he is.

Bringing in a lefty solves both issues at a stroke.