Manchester United have been told that they would have to shell out another £40m to seal a deal for Kyle Walker-Peters this summer.
The Red Devils have been linked with a move for the right-back over the past few days with Erik ten Hag keen to bolster his defence following a disastrous season last time out. Tyrell Malacia has already been welcomed to Old Trafford from Feyenoord, whilst the club have confirmed that a £57m deal is in place for Ajax star Lisandro Martinez.
United's summer business is not expected to end there, with Barcelona ’s Frenkie de Jong still a priority target, whilst fresh links to Walker-Peters have emerged over the last few days.
The right-back’s former club Tottenham Hotspur are also admirers of the 25-year-old but any deal for his services is not expected to be cheap. According to The Sun, Southampton are expecting to receive £40m for the defender - a fee that would represent a significant profit on the £12m they originally spent to sign him just two years ago following an initial loan spell.
Walker-Peters has gone on to make 82 appearances for the South Coast club since with his form good enough to earn two caps for the England national side. He still has three years still to run on his contract at St Mary’s.
His arrival would represent a significant overhaul of the Red Devils’ defence since the arrival of ten Hag. He would likely take the place of Aaron Wan-Bissaka with the former Crystal Palace star having been linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer.
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In the meantime, the Red Devils’ boss has also made the decision to sell Alex Telles with the Brazilian having failed to establish himself at the club following his arrival from Portuguese giants FC Porto.
Any deal for Walker-Peters would continue United's huge investment this summer. Added to the fees paid for Martinez and Malacia, that would take their total summer expenditure to £109m - whilst a further deal for De Jong would take that amount to approximately £180m.
They have also turned to the free agent market this summer with the acquisition of Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen following his exit from Brentford at the back end of last season. Intriguingly, Ten Hag has already suggested that he would have a preference to sign English players this summer but could potentially be priced out.
He said: “I would like to sign English players, because I think there's only one criteria and that's quality, in combination with the price. It looks like English players are quite expensive. It's a fact you cannot deny. In the end it's about quality.”
