'I was loved by Pep Guardiola and rejected Gareth Southgate – now I could join Man Utd'

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha has been linked with a move to Manchester United. He would already be familiar with his surroundings, having spent much of his youth career with Manchester City.

Nmecha was signed by Dortmund for around £25million (€30m) from Werder Bremen in 2023. While injury limited his game time during his debut campaign, the versatile centre midfielder has made 39 appearances this season and impressed for Dortmund at the Club World Cup, which could prompt a return to the Premier League.

The 24-year-old, whose older brother Lukas also rose through the ranks at City, featured three times during his stint with Pep Guardiola’s side. However, Nmecha eventually swapped England for Germany at both club and international level, having previously represented the Three Lions’ age-group sides.

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Caught Offside has reported that United are interested in bringing Nmecha to Old Trafford as Ruben Amorim looks to rebuild his team. Dortmund are on the verge of selling Jamie Gittens to Chelsea but are said to be unwilling to cash in on Nmecha.

It was previously claimed that the German club valued the Germany international at £42m (€50m). Reports in Germany, as per Manchester Evening News, suggested earlier this year that United may test Dortmund’s resolve with a £40m (€48m) offer.

Whether Nmecha does complete a move to Old Trafford remains to be seen, but Guardiola was aware of the player’s potential before he left City in 2021. After a win over Oxford United in the Carabao Cup, Guardiola name-checked Nmecha as one of three players to watch out for, despite not handing the then-17-year-old his debut.

"It is not easy to play in the big clubs like Man City," Guardiola told the Manchester Evening News in 2018. "You know my opinion of the competition they play in the second team so it's a little bit complicated but in pre-season we saw them.

"Eric Garcia played amazing in pre-season and Felix Nmecha is a guy who has a good perspective too. Today Adria [Bernabe] played some minutes. It depends on them but if they have quality in some moments they can show us they can play."

Nmecha was eventually given his first team bow in the second leg of City’s semi-final with Burton Albion, which Guardiola’s team started with a 9-0 advantage. Despite the lack of jeopardy, Nmecha was again one of several players praised by the City boss.

"The young players were good, [Ian] Poveda was so clever with the ball, and [Philippe] Sandler as well," Guardiola told Sky Sports. "[Felix] Nmecha in the second half was good.”

The City academy graduate ultimately struggled to earn more first team opportunities. He registered a Champions League assist during a brief cameo against Olympiacos in 2020 and was named in his sole Premier League matchday squad later that year.

However, it took Nmecha little time to prove himself after leaving City and reuniting with his brother Lukas at Werder Bremen. In January 2022, Sport Bible reported that England were at risk of losing Nmecha, who had played for the Three Lions from U16 to U19 level.

The midfielder was said to be in talks with the German federation over declaring for the country. His older brother Lukas had made the same switch after playing for England U21s. The warning proved to be prescient for Gareth Southgate, who had also failed to convince Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala to continue representing England a year earlier.

The younger Nmecha made his Germany U21 debut in March 2022 and became a senior international 12 months later. He currently has four caps for Germany..

A move to United this summer would represent another type of synergy for the Nmecha brothers. Lukas, 26, recently sealed a return to England by signing for newly-promoted Leeds United as a free agent.

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