Manchester United are reportedly set to complete their fourth signing of the summer, with Belgian international Toby Alderweireld closing in on a move.
Manchester United’s pursuit of a new central defender could be coming to an end, as they are close to signing Tottenham Hotspur superstar Toby Alderweireld in a stunning £60 million deal, as per reports from Mirror.
It is no secret that Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has been intent on strengthening his backline all summer, with Alderweireld emerging as the Red Devils’ primary transfer target. However, with Tottenham demanding as much as £75 million for his services, the 20-time English champions were dissuaded from making a move for the Belgian.
Manchester United switched their attention towards England international Harry Maguire instead, but were priced out of a move by Leicester City, who were demanding in excess of £65 million for the 25-year old.
The Mancunians were then linked with a £35 million move for Barcelona centre-back Yerry Mina, with reports earlier this week claiming that the club had agreed personal terms with the Colombian international.
However, Tottenham have decided to relax their stance on the asking price for Alderweireld. Spurs’ chairman Daniel Levy is understood to be willing to sanction a move for the 29-year old now, rather than losing him in a cut-price deal next summer, when a clause in his contract would let him leave for a fee one-third of their initial valuation of £75 million.
And this development has led to United calling off their pursuit of Mina and turning their attention back towards Alderweireld. The towering defender is regarded as one of the best in his position in the Premier League, despite going through a difficult 2018-19 season.
Injuries and distractions due to the contract situation meant the former Southampton man went through a rough patch and lost his place to new signing Davinson Sanchez in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI. He went on to feature only 21 times throughout the previous campaign, contributing with a solitary assist in the process.
The defender did have a strong 2018 FIFA World Cup campaign, as he played an important hand in leading Belgium to the third-place finish in this summer’s showpiece event.
The 83-time capped Belgium international is expected to finalize his move to the Old Trafford in the next couple of days. Vastly experienced, proven in the Premier League and capable of comfortably slotting in a three-man backline as well as a traditional four-man defence, Alderweireld could prove to be a great addition to the Manchester United squad heading into the new season.
Mourinho has cut a frustrating figure all summer due to the lack of progress in the transfer window. Hopefully, the impending capture of the Tottenham superstar puts the Portuguese in a good mood heading into United’s first Premier League game of the season against Leicester City in the upcoming week.
