Manchester United Explores Transfer for Julian Ryerson, Faces Decision on Noussair Mazraoui

Manchester United have made their first move in the right-back market this summer, but they may have to part with Noussair Mazraoui in the process.

Mazraoui arrived from Bayern Munich in August 2024 in a deal worth a guaranteed £12.8 million (€15 million), with a further £4.2 million (€5 million) available in performance-related add-ons.

It was widely considered one of the bargains of Erik ten Hag’s final summer, a Champions League-tested defender, fresh from helping Morocco reach the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar.

His first season at Old Trafford backed up the price tag as the 28-year-old made 37 Premier League appearances in 2024/25, providing one assist.

Not only that, his versatility shone through, being used across both flanks as Erik ten Hag, Ruud van Nistelrooy and then Ruben Amorim each took turns rotating his role between right-back and emergency left-back.

He was a quiet, dependable presence in a campaign that did not produce many of those.

However, his second season has not delivered the same momentum, with Mazraoui featuring only 19 times in the Premier League in 2025/26.

The bulk of those appearances have come from the bench as Diogo Dalot has nailed down the right-back slot under Amorim and now Michael Carrick.

Now Sky Sport Germany have reported that United have approached Dortmund about the availability of Julian Ryerson but that any deal hinges entirely on Mazraoui finding a new club first.

As such, The Red Devils are not looking to bring in another right-back; they want to replace one body with another, and the Moroccan is the one most likely to make way.

Whether United can convince Dortmund to sell is the harder question as Ryerson is contracted until 2028, has no release clause, and is regarded by head coach Niko Kovac as one of his most important players.

Sky Germany reports that BVB are highly satisfied with him and that nothing below £26 million (€30 million) would prompt them to even open the door.

Ryerson moved to Dortmund from Union Berlin in 2023 for just £4.3 million (€5 million). Since then he has racked up 143 competitive appearances for the club, scored seven goals and provided 24 assists, though that figure rises sharply when this season is broken out on its own.

The Norwegian has registered 16 assists in 39 appearances in 2025/26 alone, including a remarkable four-assist showing in a 4-0 Bundesliga win over Mainz in February.

Only Bayern Munich pair Michael Olise and Luis Diaz have produced more Bundesliga assists this season.

What makes him particularly attractive to United is his versatility as a right-footed and a right-back by trade, but he has played at left-back, at wing-back on either flank and, this season, regularly as a right winger in Kovac’s 3-4-3.

He is, in profile, a like-for-like replacement for Mazraoui with significantly more attacking output.

Julian Ryerson is also understood to be keen for the move, being an England fan, with United’s return to Champions League football also being a keen bargaining chip to make any more possible.