Alex Telles Urges Porto to Drop Asking Price to Aid Man Utd Move
By Tom Gott
Porto left-back Alex Telles has urged his club to lower their asking price and do business with Manchester United, who are keen to land the Brazilian this summer.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants some more competition for Luke Shaw, and after declining to bid for Sergio Reguilón, has set his sights on Telles, who has one year remaining on his contract and has made it clear he will not be signing an extension.
Porto are ready to let him go. They started the summer hoping to receive his £36m release clause in full but have now dropped to closer to the £18m mark, but according to The Guardian, that's still not low enough for United.
The Red Devils value Telles at around £12m and they are reluctant to go any higher. United know that they can negotiate a free transfer with Telles in just three months' time, and they also believe that Porto are desperate to raise money to finance a handful of new signings before the window closes.
To try and speed things up, Telles is believed to have urged club officials to lower their asking price. He agrees with United's stance and wants to get things sorted out as soon as possible, rather than allow it to drag on.
Not only is Telles putting pressure on the situation, but Record's Vítor Pinto believes there could be an external force trying to dictate how things go.
He told Correio da Manhã TV that there are 'clues' that one interested club has urged Telles to see out his contract with Porto in order to leave the club for free next summer. Porto believe he has already reached an agreement with somebody, which might force them to sell immediately.
There's no indication as to which side is pressuring Telles, but Pinto does mention United, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus as potential suitors of the Brazilian.
Porto have long been concerned that Telles would walk away for free, which is why they halved their asking price this summer. They do want to sell, but they believe they shouldn't be forced to accept a bid as low as United's £12m.
All the signs suggest that this one will get over the line eventually, but United will have to budge slightly if they are to convince Porto to do business.