Manchester United are reportedly in a position to adopt a difficult technique to sign Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini in a bid to beat Real Madrid on his signing and despite being told that any deal would hit their pockets hard.
The Red Devils’ inconsistent form this season was summed up in 90 minutes at Old Trafford on Boxing Day as Manchester United came back from 2-0 down to record a 3-2 win over Aston Villa. Erik ten Hag will now be waiting His team will use this victory as a platform to build on in the second part of the season. . .
However, United have had plenty of false dawns ahead of this season – with Ten Hag’s moment in the rankings – and the club still suffer thirteen defeats in their 27 games played to date, making it the worst season in their history (so far) since 1930. Clearly, primary innovations are needed in the second part of the season if they are to finish as well as possible in the Premier League, while the FA Cup now represents the only trophy United could win.
Despite the difficulties, many feel sorry for Ten Hag, knowing that his team has faced too many disruptions on stage. And while its investment saga around Sir Jim Ratcliffe is over (provided Premier League situations are met), turmoil persists around a number of volatile big players.
To start with, United are hoping they can offload Jadon Sancho when the January window officially opens for business in five days time.
But there are also doubts around Raphael Varane, who has himself endured something of a rollercoaster of a season.
READ MORE: Hojlund’s moment caps a rare display of Manchester United’s resilience. . .
Currently back in favour under Ten Hag, Varane has appeared in 15 United games this season, also suffering a spell out of the side too.
During that point, we revealed how the 30-year-old former Real Madrid man had emerged as the latest big-money target for clubs in Saudi Arabia.
Since then, the momentum around the story has gained some momentum and it has since been claimed that while Varane is a little uncomfortable at United, he would delay any departure until the end of the season.
However, there are warnings that United would still be looking to make a move. Varane deserves a big offer on his way and amid ongoing ties with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, either of whom would like to have his defensive options.
As a result, it’s no surprise to see United scouring Varane’s potential global successors in search of their defence.
Now, Italy insists that Ten Hag has opted for Atalanta’s imposing centre-back Scalvini.
The Italian defender, a seven-time international, stands at 6ft 4in and is one of the most productive young defenders in Serie A.
However, having spent big on raiding Atalanta for Rasmus Hojlund over the summer, the Serie A side have warned it will take another sizeable chunk of cash to convince them to part with Scalvini.
To that end, it has been reported that only “mad money” will convince them to sell the winter window to the 20-year-old, with sources indicating they are asking for a payment of around €50m (£43. 5m sterling) to allow the centre-back to leave, despite the reluctance of the Italian team.
And now, with Real Madrid also reportedly planning a move, it’s been suggested United are willing to pay the required fee to bring Scalvini to Old Trafford next month.
Revealing what he knows, Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla has confirmed it would take a sizeable fee for United to sign Scalvini, while Atalanta are also taking a strong-arm approach with another of their top talents in Teun Koopmeiners.
“It makes no sense to compare Atalanta’s jewels to a club for the winter moving session,” Pedulla wrote on his website.
“We are talking about Giorgio Scalvini and Teun Koopmeiners, who are rightly sought after and courted. Scalvini has several big clubs with him, last summer he was a regular at Atletico, now Manchester United and Real, among others, put a price on him. Koopmeiners is consistently connected with Juve, just as Napoli made more than one attempt last August.
“But Atalanta, barring sensational surprises and crazy offers, will have to postpone the discussion until next summer: they do not intend to deprive themselves of the jewels in January, in the presence of an attractive qualification. “
Scalvini has a contract with Atalanta until the summer of 2028 and has played 74 times for the Bergamo team, scoring 4 goals.
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