Inside Man United’s desperate left back search: Club ONLY want a loanee to step in for Luke Shaw – and have a restricted budget – with Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella most likely among top three targets
An inside look at Man United’s desperate search for left-back: Club JUST want a loan signing for Luke Shaw – and on a tight budget – with Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella most likely to be among the top three targets
Manchester United only want a short-term loan to cover Luke Shaw’s injury.
Talks over a potential move are accelerating, with Barcelona’s Marcos Alonso, Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella and Lyon’s Nicolas Tagliafico topping their list, while others such as Tottenham’s Sergio Reguilon have been offered or probed.
United have a limited budget, but want a full-back who immediately fits Erik ten Hag’s style.
Cucurella and Alonso have Premier League backgrounds, while Tagliafico, an Argentina international, is well known to the Dutch coach having worked with him at Ajax and has previously been considered by United’s scouting team.
Barcelona could be open to letting Alonso leave at short notice as it gives them more financial room to sign other new signings such as Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo.
Mark Cucurella has emerged as Manchester United’s most likely option to replace Luke Shaw
The England international may be out until November with a muscle injury
Chelsea are open to offers for Cucurella but also have other clubs such as West Ham, Dortmund and Burnley express interest in their fellow left-back Ian Maatsen, who has yet to commit to a new contract.
Cucurella is available for loan and United made inquiries on Saturday, but Chelsea may not want to let him go if Maatsen does not commit to a new contract.
The 21-year-old has been offered a long-term contract but is unsure of the terms and validity of signing it. Burnley, Borussia Dortmund and West Ham are all interested in the Orange U21 international and could match or offer better terms.
Mauricio Pochettino has been impressed by Maatsen and the club would rather let Cucurella, who made 59 Premier League appearances for Brighton and Chelsea over the past two seasons, go at this stage.
Cucurella, one of Brighton’s best players under Graham Potter, fell short of justifying his £60 million price tag when he followed his former manager through the A23 last season.
The Spaniard is yet to appear in the Premier League this year, with Ben Chilwell firmly ahead of him in the pecking order.
A product of Barcelona’s youth academy, Cucurella made his LaLiga debut on loan at Eibar in 2018, before signing for Getafe in the summer of 2019.
In two seasons with the Azulones, the 25-year-old made 74 LaLiga appearances before joining Brighton on a five-year deal at the start of the 2021-2022 season.
Tagliafico, meanwhile, regularly plays for Lyon, so the French team would like a loan with at least a purchase obligation.
Erik Ten Hag wants to add cover to the left back in this window, but has a limited budget
Nicolas Tagliafico is also on United’s radar and played under Ten Hag at Ajax
The 30-year-old, who cost Lyon just £3.5 million last summer, was part of Argentina’s World Cup-winning side with United’s Lisandro Martinez and has been praised by Ten Hag for his character and professionalism in the past.
United want to finalize a deal before Friday.
They are close to agreeing to sell goalkeeper Dean Henderson to Crystal Palace and will then sign Fenerbahçe’s Altay Bayindir for £4.3 million.
United remain limited by Financial Fair play on what they can bring in, so players like Donny van de Beek and Eric Bailly need to be sold before targeting midfield goals.
