Manchester United are keen on signing a left-back and are now in pursuit of Porto left-back Alex Telles. Telles has been with the club since 2016, joining from Turkish side Galatasaray for €6.5 million.
As per A Bola, the Portuguese club are desperate to get rid of Alex Telles in this transfer window, with the player set to become a free agent next summer which means he will be free to have contract discussions with other clubs in January. Porto had originally stuck a price tag of €30 million on Telles, but have now reduced their asking price to €20 million, as per the report. Manchester United are reportedly the main team interested in signing the 27-year-old.
The Brazilian international has been a vital part of the Porto team, playing over 190 games for the club over four seasons, scoring 24 goals and providing 55 assists.
Alex Telles: Good Option For Ole?
It seems that Manchester United are desperate to sign a left-back to add competition to Luke Shaw, who has been inconsistent and injury-prone. The Red Devils were also linked with Real Madrid left-back Sergio Reguilon, who had a fantastic season with Sevilla last time around. But by the looks of it, Spurs have pipped them to his signature.
Alex Telles is an experienced full-back, who has played in a successful Porto team that has won two league titles in the last four years. The Brazilian is a swashbuckling full-back who likes to bomb forward at every opportunity, using his pace and dribbling to good effect. Telles is a good crosser and passer of the ball, making an average of 2.3 crosses and 1.8 long balls per game in the Portuguese league last season.
The Brazilian is a quick player who likes to press and make interceptions and create chances for his teammates in more advanced areas. Telles is a modern full-back who plays almost as a wide midfielder, putting in menacing crosses from the wide areas. The 27-year-old would be a great fit in this Manchester United team, who don’t have many attacking full-backs. Shaw showed promise in a few games, but injuries once again hampered his season. The Englishman also does not put in many crosses into the box for the forwards to attack, something which Ole would like to address.
Alex Telles could allow Marcus Rashford to move into central areas while he offers the width to put in crosses for the likes of Rashford, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and co. This is a signing that would make United strong going forward while also increase the quality of first-team options for Ole to choose from.