Manchester United Edging Closer to Deal for Porto's Alex Telles
By Tom Gott
A week after opening negotiations with Porto over left-back Alex Telles, Manchester United are believed to be closing in on a deal to sign the Brazilian - with the transfer expected to go through in the coming days.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes to find some more competition for Luke Shaw this summer, and after rejecting the chance to sign Sergio Reguilón earlier in the window, United are believed to have set their sights on Telles - although there is a mysterious 'Plan B'.
Talks over Telles have dragged on for a while, but according to The Guardian, United are trying to bring them to a close by submitting their first bid, which is believed to sit around the £12m mark. RMC journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi reported on Tuesday that a second bid has since gone in, and that talks are continuing.
Porto are determined to hold out for closer to £18m, but United do not want to go any higher as they know Telles will be available on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of the current campaign. He can talk to clubs about that move in three months time.
United's case is boosted as Telles wants to make the move and Porto also need to raise money.
United will also have to make a decision over Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho. The Red Devils have been hyper-focused on the Englishman all summer but are not yet believed to have lodged a bid, instead looking to get Dortmund to commit to lowering their €120m (£108m) asking price.
Dortmund have publicly insisted that there is no chance of a deal going through, which has forced United to consider alternative targets, and The Telegraph bring up the name of Watford's Ismaïla Sarr again.
Sarr was first mentioned as an option earlier in September, and United are now believed to have enquired about the winger's availability in the hope of taking him on a season-long loan.
There are a handful of alternatives on Solskjaer's radar, with Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman and Juventus' Douglas Costa both often suggested, but United are expected to keep pushing for Sancho until the very end of the transfer window.