Manchester United will head into the summer transfer window next month with plenty of work to do.
As another disappointing campaign comes to an end, the Red Devils sit eighth in the Premier League, which would be their worst-ever finish in the competition’s history if they are unable to beat Brighton in Sunday’s final game.
Improvements are needed across the playing squad, while their first departure of the summer was confirmed earlier this week when French World Cup winner Raphael Varane announced that he will be leaving the club when his contract ends this summer.
A new central defender is therefore top of the club’s summer shopping list as Sir Jim Ratcliffe gets set for his first transfer window in charge of the club’s football operations.
The latest name to be linked with a summer switch to Old Trafford is Benfica defender Antonio Silva.
The 20-year-old is one of the most highly-rated youngsters in world football after breaking into both the Benfica and Portuguese national teams, with his age and ball-playing style fitting the profile of players the Red Devils are expected to target this summer.
Portuguese outlet Correio da Manha report that Silva may have played his final game at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz last weekend as the club need to raise funds this summer.
Manchester United are named as a suitor for the defender who has turned out 50 times for his club this season, as are Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain.
One sticking point for Silva’s admirers though could be Benfica’s asking price.
The club are said to be unwilling to let him go for much less than the €100million release clause in the player’s contract that runs until 2027.
The amount of financial firepower that the Red Devils have this summer is likely to be dictated by the number of players that they are able to sell on in the coming weeks, while Benfica have a reputation for being hardy negotiators when it comes to moving on their homegrown talents.
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