Manchester United continue to assess left-back options ahead of next month’s transfer deadline, in order to boost squad depth and provide much needed cover and competition for Luke Shaw.
Real Madrid’s Sergio Reguilon and Porto’s Alex Telles are the two main names that are thought to be on the club’s radar.
Here’s a roundup of the situation and the latest on each player in relation to United.
In short, United don’t have enough quality depth at full-back to cover for potential injuries.
Shaw has only just recovered from an ankle problem that prematurely ended his 2019/20 campaign, having earlier missed a chunk of the season with a muscle issue. Brandon Williams is the chief deputy at left-back, but the right-footed homegrown youngster is also the first alternative on the other side at right-back should anything happen to starter Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
Diogo Dalot is so out of favour that he is not a viable option as a deputy right-back, even falling behind Timothy Fosu-Mensah in the pecking order during ‘Project Restart’. Teenage talent Ethan Laird is highly rated, as is versatile youngster Teden Mengi, but it is too much to rely on them.
Three senior full-backs isn’t enough for a club that will be playing in four competitions this season. Should even one get injured, United would quickly be down to the bare bones.
Reguilon has emerged as a target this month as a result of a blocked path to a first-team spot at Real Madrid, with Marcelo and Ferland Mendy still the preferred options.
The 23-year-old impressed on loan for Sevilla last season, even coming up directly against United en-route to winning the Europa League.
The latest update from Marca claims that Reguilon has become United’s primary focus to add depth at left-back and talks with Madrid have started accordingly. The Old Trafford club want to buy the player outright – €25m (£23m) is now the rumoured price tag – but the sticking point that remains is their Spanish counterparts are insisting on a buy-back clause.
The problem for United in that scenario is that Real Madrid would retain control of Reguilon’s future. As was the case with Alvaro Morata in 2016, Los Blancos triggered their fixed price buy-back clause, leaving Juventus powerless in the matter, and sold him on for double 12 months later.
Telles has now emerged as the leading alternative to Reguilon and it is possible that a deal for the 27-year-old Brazilian might be easier and cheaper to conclude if United deem him suitable.
Telles, who joined Porto from Galatasaray in 2016, is out of contract next summer and could potentially start negotiating a pre-contract agreement for a free transfer as early as January. That puts Porto under pressure to sell, which plays into the hands of prospective buyers.
According to A Bola, Porto are open to a sale and have significantly reduced their asking price from a rumoured €30m (£27.7m) to now just €20m (£18.5m). The latter figure is believed to be around half of what the player’s release clause is, potentially making it an attractive deal.
United are named as interested, although there is no indication as to whether talks have started.
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We need his quality this guy is A joy to watch n he a winner please oue department must help us to get him DONT FORGET THT WE’RE IN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE he wil be kur istrument