Manchester United have reportedly made contact to sign Olympique Lyonnais defender Nicolas Tagliafico, as per the transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
After Luke Shaw’s serious muscle issue, the Red Devils are currently without a recognised left-back as Tyrell Malacia is also out injured. So, United have decided to explore the market to sign a new left-sided fullback before the end of this window.
Marc Cucurella, Marcos Alonso and Sergio Reguilon have all been mentioned as potential targets for United and Erik ten Hag’s side have reportedly made an approach to their respective clubs to learn about the conditions to sign them this summer. But, it appears Tagliafico is also on the record Premier League champions’ radar.
Writing on Twitter, Romano has reported that United have identified Tagliafico as a serious target to strengthen their defence and have already made contact to enquire about the details of signing him before the end of this window.
Tagliafico to Man Utd
Romano wrote:
“United also called to ask for conditions for Tagliafico deal, well known by Ten Hag.”
It has been suggested that having already splashed more than £150m, United can’t afford to spend big again to strengthen their squad this summer. So, they are planning to sign a cheap option to reinforce their defence.
After joining Lyon last summer, Tagliafico has established himself as a key player in the Ligue 1 side’s starting eleven. So, it is not sure whether Laurent Blanc’s side will grant his departure late in this window.
Tagliafico – valued at around £8m by Transfermarkt – still has two years left in his current contract. So, Lyon are likely to demand a sizeable amount of money if they are forced to cash-in over the coming days.
The 30-year-old is comfortable playing out from the back, can contribute going forward, is good in defensive contributions and also reads the game well. So, he could be a solid stop-gap solution to United’s left-back issue should they sign him this summer.
However, it is going to be interesting to see whether Man Utd eventually opt to formalise their interest in signing Tagliafico before Friday’s deadline to bolster their defence.
