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According to the Sun, Manchester United are lining up a move for £23 million-rated Ajax left-back, Nicolas Tagliafico. United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is said to see Tagliafico as an alternative to Porto left-back Alex Telles, who United are trying to sign this summer.
Manchester United have not been able to close a deal for the 27-year-old Telles thus far. Hence, they may have switched their focus towards Tagliafico, with less than two weeks left to go until the transfer deadline.
Tagliafico has had an impressive two seasons at Ajax since the Dutch champions signed him for £4 million from Independiente in 2018.
Tagliafico was linked with a move to Leicester City this summer, as the Foxes looked to replace Ben Chilwell, who left for Chelsea earlier in the summer. However, they decided to sign Timothy Catagne from Atalanta instead.
Tagliafico would reportedly cost Manchester United £23 million, as the Red Devils seem desperate to sign a left-back to compete with first-choice left-back Luke Shaw.
Manchester United have had a poor transfer window so far, managing to only sign one player, Tagliafico's former Ajax team-mate, Donny van de Beek.
Manchester United looking to provide Luke Shaw with competition
Manchester United had a poor start to the 2020-21 season, losing at home to Crystal Palace in their first game. They won 3-0 at Luton Town in the Carabao Cup last night though, thanks to goals from Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood.
The Red Devils have spent the entire transfer window chasing shadows. They have been linked with big money moves for Jadon Sancho and Dayot Upamecano, both of which have failed to materialise. This has left fans frustrated by the club's inability to sign top quality players.
Manchester United are in desperate need of defensive reinforcements and were close to a deal for Sergio Reguilon. They rejected Real Madrid's request to add a buy-back clause to Reguilon's contract though, before he joined Tottenham Hotspur last week for €30 million.
Solskjaer has identified Telles as an alternative option to Sergio Reguilon. However, with less than two weeks to go in the transfer window, Manchester United have failed to make huge progress in negotiations.
Manchester United are desperate to bring new faces to the club and do not have anymore time to waste. Hence they are looking at a possible deal for Tagliafico.
They share a good relationship with Ajax, in particular current sporting director and former United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. The Reds may therefore be hoping they can get a deal for Tagliafico over the line as soon as possible.
