Man Utd tipped for intriguing move to land ex-Man City £27m defender as January transfer window opens

Manchester United fans are hoping to kickstart 2025 with a busy January transfer window after a dismal start to the campaign which has seen their team pick up a measly 22 points from their opening 19 league games.

The team’s defensive record, in particular, is an area of huge concern for Ruben Amorim’s side, who have conceded 26 times this season while falling to costly defeats to Newcastle United, Wolves, Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Arsenal in the Premier League in recent weeks.

The Portuguese head coach is expected to spearhead a huge rebuild, but has warned reporters that the process will be slower than anticipated and that the recruitment team will be working with a tight budget in January.

However, as defender Victor Lindelof approaches the final months of his contract at Old Trafford, reports have emerged that Amorim is plotting to replace the Swede with former Manchester City star and two-time Premier League winner Danilo.

Danilo’s career so far

Danilo is 65-cap Brazil international and the current captain of Italian heavyweights Juventus. He started his career at local Brazilian side America Minerio in 2009 before making a name for himself in the top-flight with Santos. He made his international debut in 2011 and picked up a silver medal at the Olympic Games in 2012 before making a move to FC Porto that same summer.

A successful two-year stint at Real Madrid followed between 2015 and 2017 before Danilo completed a blockbuster £27m move to join Premier League giants Manchester City. He won Premier League titles in both of his seasons at the Etihad and also celebrated plenty of success at Wembley by lifting a further two League Cups and one FA Cup.

The 33-year-old has racked up 213 appearances since joining Juventus in 2019, but has reportedly been told by manager Thiago Motta that he is no longer part of his long-term vision for the club after being dropped from the Supercoppa squad against Fiorentina.

TuttoSport claims that Manchester United are ready to ‘test the waters’ over the defender’s availability, and adds that French giants Marseille, Saudi outfit Al Nassr, Italian title hopefuls Napoli and Brazilian side Flamengo have all shown similar interest.

Danilo is capable of playing both as a right-back and a centre back and is seen as the type of profile that would fit well into Amorim’s preferred 3-4-3 system.

However, at this stage, it is unclear whether Danilo is wanting to leave his home in Italy, with TuttoSport adding that the veteran finds an offer from Antonio Conte’s title-chasing Napoli the most appealing. Manchester United currently sit 14th in the table ahead of a crunch match away to league leaders Liverpool on Sunday.