Manchester United six-man centre-back shortlist 'revealed' including West Ham star
Man Utd will look to sign a central defender in the summer transfer window.
The January transfer window might only just have closed, but Manchester United are already stepping up their plans for the summer. Ruben Amorim will push for the addition of a striker, right winger and a central midfielder, while he could also need at least one centre-back to bolster his first-team squad.
Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans are both expected to leave when their contracts expire at the end of the campaign, while this summer will also represent the final chance to sell Harry Maguire as he enters the final year of his current contract. There are growing concerns over Lisandro Martinez's unfortunate injury record and Luke Shaw can't be trusted as a backup option after his even worse fitness issues.
It means United could be in the market for a central defender this summer and one report claims they already have a six-man shortlist of possible targets.
United have six-man shortlist already
Amorim wants to add another top central defender to his squad and GiveMeSport claim there is already a shortlist of possible options, four of which play in the Premier League. Where possible, United are eager to add players with Premier League experience to their squad, though it often comes with the caveat of increased cost for that experience. The report claims Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite and Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi are the two 'standout names', though they would each cost in excess of £70 million.
Bournemouth youngster Dean Huijsen is another high-quality option, though he is another who wouldn't come cheap given he only moved to the club last summer. It is claimed Amorim is also fond of former Sporting pair Goncalo Inacio and Ousmane Diomande and could persuade United to move for either of them this summer.
The other name on the list is one familiar to United fans already. It is claimed they retain an interest in West Ham defender Jean-Clair Todibo after they were effectively banned from signing him last summer. United wanted to sign Todibo directly from OGC Nice, but the move was blocked by Uefa due to multi-club ownerships rules, and he ended up joining West Ham on loan with an obligation to make it permanent. Todibo has struggled to make a positive impact at West Ham but is viewed as a cheaper alternative to other names on the list this summer.