Manchester United are preparing to launch a bid to secure their top target to strengthen the left-back position.
Michael Carrick will have influence on transfers at Manchester United!
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Manchester United were expected to be very busy in the transfer window this summer, but with roughly only one month to go before the window slams shut, United have only signed two players.
United agreed a £50 million deal to sign Andrey Santos from Chelsea and triggered Youri Tielemans' £35 million release clause at Aston Villa. United are expected to still sign a third midfielder, but it is currently unclear who they will make a move for. Aurélien Tchouaméni, Carlos Baleba and Manu Koné are amongst the names United are said to be considering.
The left-hand side is another area of the pitch United want to strengthen before the end of the summer window. A new left winger arriving is dependent on Marcus Rashford leaving, but the Carrington graduate is now set to stay at Old Trafford, unless a top European side makes a move for him. United had identified Crysencio Summerville as a primary target for the left wing position in the event of Rashford's departure, but the Dutch winger has now joined Al-Hilal.
With Rashford set to stay, United are now quite likely to instead invest funds towards signing a new left-back. Luke Shaw started every Premier League game last season, but he has a long history of injuries, and he will likely not be able to play multiple games a week with United set to return to the Champions League.
Patrick Dorgu can also play as a left-back, but he has also played a lot of football on the left wing under Michael Carrick, and it is unclear where United see his long-term future.
Lewis Hall is, according to various reports, United's top target for the left-back position.
According to TEAMtalk, United are preparing an opening move for Hall. The full-back is keen on a potential move to Old Trafford, and United are now ready to ramp up their pursuit in the coming weeks.
The report claims that Jason Wilcox remains the driving force behind United’s interest, with United's Director of Football having long admired Hall’s ability to operate as both a traditional full-back and an inverted defender.
Should a move for Hall not come to fruition, Racing Santander's Jorge Salinas has emerged as one of the leading alternatives, according to the report from TEAMtalk.
Signing quality players, particularly those who are Premier League proven, is getting more and more expensive.
Newcastle, in particular, are very astute in negotiations and tend to get what they want for their key players. Last summer, they received a transfer fee of £130 million for Alexander Isak. They sold Anthony Gordon at the start of the summer to Barcelona for a fee in the region of £70 million. They also sold Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur for a fee which could reach £100 million after bonuses.
Should United indeed formalise their interest in Hall, Newcastle will likely demand a minimum of £60 million to part ways with the English full-back. Given, though, that they have already lost multiple key players, and could still lose Bruno Guimaraes with Arsenal pushing to sign the Brazilian midfielder, Newcastle will likely not want to let another key player leave.
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