Manchester United have made signing a new centre-half a priority, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Although there are no guarantees that a bid will be lodged during the January transfer window, Romano told the United Stand YouTube channel that the Red Devils have drawn up a list of four possible targets:
“They want to sign a new centre-back. Important centre-back, a talented centre-back, a player that can give some guarantees… Todibo is 100% on the list. They already had very positive contacts in the summer with his agents. They know the player is very keen on the move; he dreams of Premier League football so, in the case of Todibo, Man United are already in a good point of discussion on player side but, at the moment, it’s not even a negotiation because it will take time, obviously for Man United to decide ‘ok’, this is the player we want…”
“For sure, there are other players, Tapsoba was one of the players they were considering this summer but [he] was never a priority because it was super expensive, it’s always been very expensive, something around €55m/€60m; way too much for Man United last summer. Let’s see next summer what’s going to happen but Tapsoba remains one of the players they appreciate.”
“Antonio Silva is one of the favourite options at Manchester United. Last summer, he was untouchable at Benfica so [for] Man United, [it] was not even possible to negotiate for Antonio Silva but he remains a player that Manchester United are following, are scouting and they also have an excellent relationship with his agent who is Jorge Mendes…”
“I would add one more name, which has different kind of skills, because he’s left-footed… this one is Goncalo Inacio from Sporting [Lisbon], the centre-back who has been for a long time on the list of many English clubs including Newcastle, including Liverpool. Man United, in their trips to Portugal, with the scouts monitoring Antonio Silva, are also keeping an eye on Goncalo Inacio. He’s another player they really appreciate.”
United already have 5 centre-halves
It should be noted that manager Erik ten Hag already has a wealth of options in the centre of defence with the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans all in the first-team squad.
However, after conceding 12 goals in 8 league games, it appears that the club are looking to upgrade on the players they have.
Which of the 4 targets would be United’s priority target?
If the Red Devils do choose to pursue a new centre-back, you would back Todibo to be top of the list. The Frenchman is not only keen on a switch to England, as Romano mentions, but he could be the cheapest, with reports suggesting his asking price is €40m (£34.5m).
Silva, in contrast, has a €120m (£103.6m) release clause, which would make him prohibitively expensive, along with Tapsoba. Inacio, meanwhile, recently signed a new contract that includes a buyout fee worth €60m.
