Man Utd monitoring Nicolas Tagliafico as £23m transfer alternative to Porto left-back Alex Telles
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MANCHESTER UNITED are monitoring Ajax’s Nicolas Tagliafico - as a possible alternative to Alex Telles.
United are after a new left-back to add competition for Luke Shaw.
Sergio Reguilon was a target but the Spaniard ended up joining Tottenham who agreed to a buy-back clause.
Brazilian Telles, 27, has been strongly linked to United and is into the final year of his contract at Porto.
Negotiations between United and the Portuguese club are said to be ongoing.
But SunSport understands the Red Devils are also considering Argentine full-back Tagliafico, who is free to leave Ajax this summer for around £23million.
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The 28-year-old was on Leicester’s shortlist as a replacement for Chelsea-bound Ben Chilwell, but they moved for Atalanta’s Timothy Castagne instead.
Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid’s financial problems look likely to scupper any possible move for the defender who has been capped 25 times for his country.
Most-recently, Man Utd stepped up their chase for Telles by offering Diogo Dalot plus cash.
However, the Portuguese giants knocked-back the offer as they have no interest of taking back their former player - who left the club to join United in 2018.
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United had hoped to cut the up-front cost by throwing in Dalot, 21, in a player-plus-cash deal.
But Porto have confirmed they will only accept an offer from Old Trafford officials if their £23m asking price is met in full.
United have already seemingly missed out on top target Jadon Sancho after refusing to meet Borussia Dortmund's £108m valuation.
And Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Co are at it again, this time cheekily hoping to trim a few million of Telles' asking price by throwing in deadwood right-back Dalot.
Telles has a release clause of £36.7m in his current contract at Porto.
But the Portuguese giants are thought to be willing to accept over £10m less in a bid to cash-in while they can.
Telles is out of contract at the Primeira Liga club at the end of the current season.
The one-cap Brazil international will therefore be able to negotiate pre-contract terms with European sides from January 1 ahead of a free transfer in July.