Manchester United are reportedly ‘set to’ seal the transfer of Roma defender Kostas Manolas, as casually mentioned in this report from Spanish source Marca.
They seem to suggest the Red Devils’ move for the Greece international is close and could perhaps be a boost for Real Madrid in their pursuit of young Porto centre-back Eder Militao, who is the main focus of the article.
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It remains to be seen if they’ve jumped the gun a little as not much explanation is given, though this does follow recent speculation linking Manolas strongly with United.
MUFC do of course need to strengthen at the back after a difficult first half of the season, with players like Chris Smalling and Phil Jones not really good enough for a club of their calibre, while Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof have also had their ups and downs at Old Trafford.
Manolas, meanwhile, has shone at Roma and would surely be a significant upgrade, with a recent report from Gazzetta dello Sport, translated by the Metro, stating United were looking at the player ahead of a possible summer move, when he’d be available for just £32million due a clause in his contract that becomes active at the end of the season.
Still, United could do with the 27-year-old now, so perhaps Marca have caught wind that things could be happening this month.
United have also recently been linked with Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld and others in that area of the pitch by the Daily Mirror.