'Closing in' - Fabrizio Romano transfer verdict on Man Utd man

Manchester United are expected to cash in on one of their young assets in the January transfer window as Spain U21 defender Alvaro Fernandez edges closer to a departure from the club.

The 20-year-old left back has been on the books at Old Trafford since 2020 - with the Red Devils at the time beating off interest from Barcelona and Manchester City to secure his signature.

Fernandez, who had spells in the academies of both Real Madrid and Deportivio La Coruna, was seen as a star in the making and many fans had hoped that he would one day succeed Luke Shaw as the club’s main left back. The youngster impressed in the U23 team in his two years at Manchester United and continued to thrive in the Championship in his 39 appearances on loan at Preston North End last term.

Fernandez made such an impression at Deepdale that he was even awarded the club’s Young Player of the Season award. This prompted the attention of newly promoted La Liga club Grenada who signed the player on a season long loan deal in September.

The left back was involved in a total of 14 games for the struggling side during the first half of the season, but his loan was surprisingly terminated prematurely. The Daily Express initially speculated that Fernandez’s early return was prompted by the club’s ongoing injury crisis and it was believed that he would be given the chance to finally make his long awaited Manchester United debut.

However, recent reports from Portuguese news outlet Record have since rebuked these claims and it now appears that Fernandez is heading to Benfica for a fee in the region of £8.6m, according to The Sun.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has also offered further insights into proceedings and his latest comments on social media suggest that a move is imminent for the Spaniard.

Romano tweeted: “Benfica are closing in on deal to sign 2003 born fullback Álvaro Fernández! Personal terms 100% agreed now, the contract is ready. Agreement being finalised with Man United on permanent transfer, as per Record. Details being discussed and then… here we go.”