Man Utd are eyeing a move for Paris Saint-Germain fullback Lucas Hernandez to “bolster their defence”, according to reports in the French media.

PSG Inside-Actu claims that the Red Devils are “closely following” the 30-year-old, who won the World Cup with France in 2018.

Hernandez is not pushing to leave the Parc des Princes, and PSG are not actively seeking a buyer either.

However, the defender is not a regular starter under head coach Luis Enrique, having made the first eleven just 21 times last season. He is the understudy for Nuno Mendes.

Why are Man Utd interested in the player?

Manager Michael Carrick is short of options at left-back, with Luke Shaw the only member of the first-team squad who is a natural in that position.

Director of Football Jason Wilcox has looked at potential targets to strengthen that area of the pitch, including Newcastle’s Lewis Hall.

However, the Magpies are not interested in selling the England international, despite claims that the player is unsettled after losing his place in the starting lineup at the back end of last season.

With Hall seemingly out of reach, it appears that Hernandez is one of the alternatives under consideration.

Hernandez and Hall are not the only left-back targets

Reports in the Portuguese media have also suggested that United scouts were monitoring the performances of Maxi Araujo at the World Cup.

The Sporting Lisbon left-back impressed despite Uruguay failing to get out of their group. He scored the equaliser against Saudi Arabia in their opening group fixture, before producing a goal and an assist during the subsequent 2-2 draw versus Cape Verde.

Similarly to Hall, the cost of signing Araujo may be a stumbling block. Sporting’s asking price is reportedly €60m (£51m), which is likely to be much higher than the fee that would be required for Hernandez.

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