Man United Want To Sign New Centre-back After Deciding Two Sell Two Defenders

Man United have spent over £100m on centre-back signings since the start of the 2019-20 season, and are set to dip into the transfer market for one more this summer following another campaign marked by disastrous defending.

United signed four-time Champions League winner Raphael Varane from Real Madrid to partner the world’s most expensive centre-back Harry Maguire last summer. 32 Premier League games into the season, they’ve already conceded as many league goals as they shipped across 38 last season.

Maguire’s form has seen a sharp decline after the Euro 2020 tournament. Meanwhile, Varane, who was supposed to replace Victor Lindelof, has started less league games than the Swede due to his injury problems.

As such, United intent to bring in another defender for their incoming manager Erik ten Hag.

According to the Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils have held ‘exploratory discussions’ with Antonio Rudiger’s representatives. The Chelsea star is out of contract in June.

However, their chances of landing the Germany international are slim. His representatives are understood to be more focused on discussing potential contracts with clubs guaranteed to play in the Champions League next season.

Further, United are also willing to let Eric Bailly and Phil Jones leave. Both players have had a little success under interim boss Ralf Rangnick and his predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and are open to depart Old Trafford.