Manchester United are reportedly considering making a surprise swoop to sign Paris Saint-Germain defender Lucas Beraldo, as per Spanish outlet Fichajes.
Since moving to Parc des Princes from Brazilian side Sao Paulo, the 21-year-old has been used as a rotational option by Luis Enrique. He started numerous games in Ligue 1 last term and helped Les Parisiens become the French champions.
However, the Spanish boss didn’t use him properly in the Champions League, giving him only one start. After Willian Pacho was shown a red card versus Bayern Munich in the FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final, Enrique was forced to use Beraldo.
The South American displayed a promising performance against Real Madrid in the semi-final but was completely dominated by João Pedro and Liam Delap in the final against Chelsea.
Therefore, Fichajes state that after watching Beraldo’s struggles in the Club World Cup final, PSG are ready to cash-in on him, and Man Utd have registered their interest in signing him by taking advantage of this situation.
The Red Devils believe Beraldo could still reach the top in a different environment, so they could make a ‘firm offer’ to lure him to Old Trafford over the coming weeks.
Beraldo to Man Utd
The 21-year-old is valued at around £22m by Transfermarkt and still has three years left in his current contract. Therefore, PSG are likely to demand a sizable amount of money to let him leave.
The Brazilian is a technically gifted left-footed centre-back and composed with possession. He is efficient in playing out from the back, but doesn’t possess a strong stature.
Beraldo’s struggles against Chelsea should serve as a warning to Man Utd that the PSG man might not be suited for the Premier League. Therefore, they should be better off exploring other options to strengthen the centre-back position.
United currently have Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven, and Lisandro Martínez as options to deploy in the centre-back position. Moreover, Tyler Fredicson is also an option for this area.
Therefore, Ruben Amorim’s side don’t have to go for a new centre-back this summer, especially given they don’t have to play any European competitions next term.
