According to reports in The Express, Manchester United have joined Premier League rivals Chelsea in the race to sign £61m-rated Juventus left-back Alex Sandro, who would cost a world-record £61m fee for a defender.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Express says that the left-back position has been a problem ever since Jose Mourinho took the reins at Old Trafford in the summer of 2016, and he remains unconvinced by Luke Shaw despite the 22-year-old’s promising display in the Champions League during the week.
The likes of Matteo Darmian, Ashley Young and Daley Blind have all filled in there this season, but the Portuguese manager has favoured a system that incorporates wing-backs in more recent times and he wants to bring in a new specialist player there in order to try and keep the pace with arch-rivals Manchester City.
The Express says that United have been alerted by the fact that Sandro is keen to leave Juve after a summer move to Chelsea failed to materialise, but they may have to pay a world-record fee for a defender to get him with the Serie A giants said to be asking for £61m.
How has Sandro done this season?
He has done well.
The Brazil international played every minute of their Champions League group campaign – picking up an assist in the 2-0 win against Olympiacos on Tuesday – but he has been less of a regular in Serie A.
The 26-year-old has been an unused substitute on five occasions, including the 1-0 win against Napoli last Friday.
However, the left-sided player has still scored one goal and provided a further three assists in nine Italian top flight outings, and the fact that WhoScored.com says his strengths include his aerial ability, his concentration and his tackling will certainly have impressed Mourinho from a defensive point of view.
Would he be a good signing for United?
He certainly would be.
The 26-year-old has experience of playing at the very highest level for Juventus and Brazil, and he is the perfect wing-back as he has shown that he can be effective at both ends of the pitch.
Whether Mourinho and the Red Devils will be willing to spend more than £60m on a left wing-back remains to be seen though, with Tottenham Hostpur’s Danny Rose potentially available for a smaller fee if Spurs are willing to let him leave.
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