Manchester United are pushing ahead with a move to sign Chelsea target Alex Telles and Porto are ready to sell if £27.1m is put on the table this summer, according to reports in Portugal via TeamTalk.
Telles has been a key player for Porto since arriving from Galatasaray in 2016 with the full-back making almost 200 appearances to help the club win 2 Primeira Liga titles and two domestic cups over the past four years.
However, the South American’s future at the club is in serious doubt as Telles has just one year left on his current deal and is showing no sign he’ll commit himself to Porto by signing an extension any time soon.
The situation has attracted interest from Chelsea as the Blues have reportedly identified the Brazilian international as a cheaper alternative to number one target Ben Chilwell – who’s being priced out of a move by Leicester City.
Frank Lampard is on the look out for a new left-back as doubts continue over Marcos Alonso while Emerson Palmeiri is expected to head back to Italy after falling out-of-favour and Telles is among the players Chelsea are looking at.
However, it seems the Londoners will face stiff competition as TeamTalk are citing a report from Correio da Manha [newspaper version] that claims Manchester United have joined Chelsea in the race to sign Telles this summer.
The Portuguese newspaper suggests that United are now in pole position as they are showing the most serious interest and are ready to push ahead with a potential deal after making an initial enquiry for the 27-year-old defender.
Telles has a €40m exit clause in his contract but the report suggests that Porto are ready to accept a cut-price fee of around £27.1m (€30m) rather than risk losing the player for nothing in 12 months time.
If Man Utd could agree that sort of fee it would represent an excellent deal for a player of Telles’ quality as he’s forged a reputation as one of the best attacking left-backs in European football.
Telles contributed an impressive 13 goals and 12 assists in 49 games for Porto last season so he’d bring a new dimension to the United attack if they could lure him to Old Trafford this summer.
However, the South American’s arrival would cast serious doubt over the futures of Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams as it’s difficult to see them both staying if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer signs Telles as his first choice left-back.
