Manchester United are “willing” to shell out “more than” €60m (£51m) on AC Milan fullback Theo Hernandez, according to Fichajes.net.
The Spanish rumour mongers claim that manager Erik ten Hag has identified a weakness on the left-hand side of defence and he has singled out the France international as the man to fix the issue.
It should be pointed out that Hernandez was linked with a move to the Red Devils in the Italian press just under a month ago.
Whether Fichajes have got new information or whether they are just repeating the same story, we shall have to wait and see.
At the time, the links to Hernandez were quickly dismissed by reliable sources such as journalist Fabrizio Romano, so it’s probably wise to treat these latest rumours with a pinch of salt.
It’s debatable whether United need to strengthen the left-back position
Although Tyrell Malacia had a rather underwhelming first season at Old Trafford, ten Hag’s first choice for the role, Luke Shaw, performed pretty consistently.
For that reason, you can’t see the Red Devils spending in excess of £50m on a position where they already have a very capable player.
The club’s transfer priorities lie elsewhere
It has been widely reported that United are not blessed with the biggest transfer budget this summer, so splashing out on a left-back is unlikely to be high on the agenda.
After the Manchester club wrap up a deal for Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana, it is believed that the club may focus on player sales, before then making a concerted effort to sign a forward later on in the window.
Rasmus Hojlund is reportedly the top target but there have been claims in recent days that Atalanta may demand as much as €100m (£85m) for the striker. If that valuation is accurate, there will certainly be no money to spend on Hernandez as well.