Manchester United are almost certain to sign a centre-back this summer, it seems.
There are plenty of glaring chinks in the Red Devils’ armour, but the need for a reliable – in terms of quality and fitness – defender has been made evident this year.
Raphael Varane is still a brilliant box-defender, but United are reluctant to extend his contract on such high wages and he is the subject of transfer interest from Saudi Arabia. Lisandro Martinez, for all his ability, is at risk of being added to the club’s injury-prone cohort. An able and ready option is a must for this new ownership group, who should look for the right target in both the short and long-term.
United have been linked with various defenders in recent weeks. Here are ten names touted with a move, ranked by how suitable they’d be for this new project.
Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Estimated price: £40m
Pro: Premier League proven
Con: So was Ali Dia, I guess
Apologies for such a harsh comparison to open with (seriously sorry, please don’t sue), but there just aren’t a lot of meaningful arguments for United to pursue Max Kilman.
Is he a solid Premier League defender? Of course, but that’s the extent of his ability at the moment. For the price he’d likely cost – Napoli saw a £30m knocked back last summer – United may as well look for a better centre-back.
Club: Barcelona
Estimated price: £50m
Pro: Versatile, good enough, good dresser
Con: Lack of height
In isolation, there’s nothing inherently wrong with Jules Kounde – an international defender capable of filling in at full-back and has experience winning major honours.
Do you really want to pair him with another short defender like Martinez when the rest of the Premier League is going the other way with gigantic centre-backs, though?
Club: Sporting CP
Estimated price: £52m (release clause)
Pro: Plenty of experience for a 22-year-old
Con: Lack of upper-lip hair to complete his beard
Like Kounde, the problem of spending big on a player such as Goncalo Inacio revolves around Martinez – it’s extremely rare for top teams to build two-man centre-back partnerships with a pair of lefties.
Club: Bayern Munich
Estimated price: £70m
Pro: Erik ten Hag knows him personally
Con: That’s gone so well with his other signings
The last thing United fans must be wanting at this point is another signing endorsed by Ten Hag because they used to play under him. There’s no guarantee he’ll still be in the dugout next season is perhaps the silver lining.
Club: Nice
Estimated price: £60m
Pro: Fiery and passionate
Con: Would almost certainly receive five red cards in his debut season
No, United fans. This transaction would not be any easier just because Sir Jim Ratcliffe has a stake in both clubs. This isn’t like adding yourself as the coach of another team on Football Manager. You’re not getting a discount, end of.
Club: Everton
Estimated price: £70m
Pro: Premier League’s next-best thing
Con: Accumulated plenty of bad experiences with Everton
Jarrad Branthwaite is great. He’s going to have an excellent career. Again, this is not a question of ability.
The left-footed aspect is a real piece managers consider, while the price is unlikely to be kind on United unless Everton get relegated.
Club: Barcelona
Estimated price: £90m
Pro: Seriously impressive at what he does
Con: The cost-to-minute ratio likely needed to acquire him
In terms of quality, Ronald Araujo is probably the best defender on this list. He’s likely even the best centre-back available anywhere this summer.
Barcelona, despite their financial woes, would demand a hefty fee however, while his injury and fitness records are not pretty. United need someone capable of playing around 50 games across all competitions next season and that’s unlikely to be Araujo.
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Estimated price: £60m
Pro: Long-standing interest
Con: Goodness knows if that’s even reciprocal anymore
United considered Edmond Tapsoba as an option last summer when it seemed Harry Maguire would be heading to West Ham before ultimately deciding to stay.
One year and one Bundesliga title (official confirmation pending) later, he would be a great signing for the Red Devils.
Club: Juventus
Estimated price: £50m
Pro: Has had to hold together a disappointing Juventus team so this task wouldn’t be anything new to him
Con: Why would you sign up for more of this?
90min’s Jack Gallagher is adamant that ‘Juve are rancid, but Gleison Bremer’s actually class’.
The Brazil international is also a lot cheaper than his rivals on this list and can boasts a nice blend of experience and youth at 27. Keep an eye on this one.
Club: Benfica
Estimated price: £70m
Pro: Almost destined to be one of Europe’s best defenders for years to come
Con: This kind of trajectory often changes for players after joining United
Antonio Joao Pereira de Albuquerque Tavares da Silva, with his 86 Benfica appearances and nine Portugal caps at the age of only 20, is our number one candidate for United to sign.
Unfortunately for any United fans reading this, the obvious candidate is almost never the one any given club actually signs. So you should consider putting a cross through Silva’s name in pencil to save your disappointment.
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