Man Utd eye move to sign Ajax star Edson Alvarez

Manchester United are eyeing a move to sign Edson Alvarez and Ajax are prepared to cash-in on the midfielder after the World Cup, according to reports via TeamTalk.

Erik ten Hag spent over £200m in the summer revamping the squad he inherited from Ralf Rangnick but the United boss knows he still has a lot of work to do before he has a side capable of competing for major trophies.

Man Utd have been tipped to sign a new right-back, goalkeeper and striker over the next two transfer windows but it appears another central midfielder is also on the agenda.

Despite signing Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in the summer, TeamTalk suggests that ten Hag is in the market for another midfielder and cites a report that originates from CalcioMercato that claims United have identified Alvarez as a target.

The Italian outlet claims that Manchester United have now joined Chelsea in the race to sign Alvarez after the Blues saw a £43m [€50m] offer rejected by Ajax during the final stages of the summer window.

The offer was generous but Ajax were determined not to sell anymore key players having already lost a number of top stars, including Lisandro Martinez and Antony – who joined Man Utd.

Ready to do business

However, Alvarez was disappointed that Ajax blocked his move to the Premier League and TeamTalk cite a report from De Telegraaf that claims the Dutch giants are now willing to cash-in on the midfielder this winter.

Chelsea could renew their interest but Ten Hag knows the Mexican international well from their time together in Amsterdam and that relationship could prove pivotal to determine who wins the race for his signature.

The 25-year-old is only valued at £27m by Transfermarkt so Man Utd, and perhaps Chelsea, will hope Ajax would now accept an offer in the region of £43m given the players desire to move to England.

Alvarez is known for his no-nonsense style of play and while he’s not the most elegant player, he does the dirty work in front of the defence which allows the more creative players to do their thing further up the pitch.

We’ll have to wait and see how things develop over the coming weeks but Alvarez could prove to be a terrific signing for Man Utd if they’re able to beat Chelsea to his signature this winter.