Football Digest: Analysing Man Utd's failed recruitment
Manchester United’s late summer transfer priority appears to have shifted to a left-back, despite relentless cries for the club to recruit a new midfielder and forward. Luke Shaw may face months on the sidelines through injury, joining Erik ten Hag’s only other senior left-back, Tyrell Malacia, out of action.
Fenerbahce goalkeeper Altay Bayindir looks set to join in a £4million deal imminently, with Dean Henderson completing a £20m move to Crystal Palace simultaneously.
But Ten Hag wants a fifth signing before Friday’s deadline in the form of a left-back and has earmarked plenty of options.
According to The Athletic, United have made an opening proposal worth £2m to sign Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella on loan until the end of the season.
The Blues have responded by requesting a £7m loan fee, which United have baulked at, but negotiations are ongoing.
The report adds that Ten Hag views Cucurella as a good fit for his system despite a disappointing first season at Chelsea after joining for £60m last summer.
But Ten Hag has drawn up five alternatives in case he can’t lure Cucurella from Stamford Bridge before the deadline.
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A handful of the Dutchman’s United signings have been players from his past, whom he has come to trust at Ajax or elsewhere.
And Lyon defender Nicolas Tagliafico is another after spending a few years together in Amsterdam.
United snubbed the chance to sign Tagliafico last summer, opting for Tyrell Malacia, before he joined Lyon in a £3.6m deal.
But a year and a World Cup win with Lisandro Martinez later, the 30-year-old is back on the agenda.
Lyon are said to be willing to do a deal for a loan fee or obligation to buy if Tagliafico is keen on a move to Old Trafford.
Another former United target on Ten Hag’s list is Sergio Reguilon, who Tottenham Hotspur are actively looking to offload.
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But Reguilon’s lofty salary demands are expected to be too large a hurdle to leap, making him an unrealistic capture.
The Athletic claim Marcos Alonso is also in consideration, but his £170,000-a-week wage is also likely to be too high for United.
Leicester City duo Luke Thomas, 22, and Ryan Bertrand, 34, are also allegedly in the frame.
But Cucurella currently poses as the most realistic arrival, as talks with Chelsea over a temporary deal continue toward the deadline.
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