Manchester United Targets Bradley Locko as Left-Back Solution
Manchester United’s search for a left-back is heading into the final stretch of the window, and a new name has moved into focus: Bradley Locko.
The Brest defender is willing to make the switch to Old Trafford and link up with Michael Carrick’s squad, according to journalist Dylan McBennett, who reports that the 24-year-old is open to leaving Ligue 1 in the final days of the summer market.
United’s need in that position is no secret. With the window closing next week, the club are working on what they see as a pragmatic solution rather than a marquee signing.
Balde too expensive for INEOS project
Fabrizio Romano has outlined United’s thinking, revealing that the club did explore a move for Barcelona’s Alejandro Balde. A conversation took place with Jorge Mendes around a week ago, but the numbers quickly became a problem.
Transfer fee. Salary. Both judged too high by INEOS for this stage of the project.
Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, said he expects United to be active in the final four or five days of the window and stressed that left-back remains a priority area. The club, he said, are “working to add a new left-back” and are looking for what he described as a “solution” rather than a superstar.
The comparison he drew was telling. Romano referenced the 2023 loan move for Sergio Reguilon from Tottenham – a short-term, experienced option who could compete immediately. He was clear he was not saying it would be the same profile again, but that type of deal: an international-level full-back who can step straight into the rotation.
Locko among those keen on Old Trafford
That is where Bradley Locko comes in.
McBennett wrote on X at 8:59am on August 28 that Locko is “among names that would be open to joining the club before the transfer deadline,” adding that the Frenchman is one of “numerous left-backs with desire to join United this summer.”
Locko has been with Brest since 2023 and is under contract there until 2027, so this would not be a bargain-bin rescue job. At 24, he sits in that useful middle ground: old enough to have experience, young enough to develop.
Across 67 appearances in all competitions for Brest, Locko has produced five assists. He is not a headline-grabbing attacking full-back in the Balde mould, but he has built a reputation in Ligue 1 as a steady, modern left-back capable of contributing on both sides of the ball.
United, according to Romano, are “exploring this kind of option” and are widely expected to bring in a reinforcement before the deadline.
The clock is ticking. The question now is whether Bradley Locko becomes the latest defender to use Brest as a springboard to the Premier League – and whether United’s calculated restraint in this window pays off once the season’s demands start to bite.
