Wolfsburg are reportedly eyeing a shock summer swoop for Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw, who is in the final year of his contract with the club.
Manchester United defender and England international Luke Shaw has emerged as a surprise transfer target for German outfit Wolfsburg, as per reports from the Daily Mail.
The 23-year old’s £30 million move from Southampton back in the summer of 2014 generated a lot of excitement within the Manchester United supporters. However, Shaw has failed to live up to those initial expectations, with injuries and fitness issues hampering him throughout his four-year stint at the Old Trafford.
Shaw’s first-team opportunities took a severe hit following the appointment of Jose Mourinho as the United manager two years ago. The left-back managed to make just eight Premier League starts in the 2017-18 season and featured only 23 times in total across all competitions, which cost him a place in England’s 23-man squad for the summer’s 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Things have been a little frosty between Shaw and Jose, with the defender reportedly unhappy over the treatment meted out to him by the Portuguese. The Manchester United manager has criticized the Englishman in the media on numerous occasions, which hasn’t gone down too well with the player.
This led to strong speculations that the 23-year old would be leaving the club this summer. And reports of United aggressively pursuing the signing of Alex Sandro did not help the situation either. However, Mourinho is understood to be willing to give the former Southampton man another shot at proving himself at the club.
Last season’s first choice left-back Ashley Young is yet to return from vacation following his involvement in the World Cup, while new signing Diogo Dalot is recovering from an injury. With Daley Blind leaving the club this summer and Matteo Darmian expected to follow suit, United are short on numbers at left-back heading into the new season.
Considering that the club’s defensive resources are stretched very thin, it is unlikely that the 20-time English champions will sanction Shaw’s sale, despite Wolfsburg’s strong interest in the England international.
Shaw has less than twelve months left on his contract with Manchester United, after the Red Devils triggered a one-year extension option in his deal earlier this January. The full-back will be free to negotiate with foreign clubs from the turn of the year.
However, the 23-year old is determined to prove himself at the club and is willing to stay and fight for a starting berth in the Mourinho’s setup. Should his chances with the first-team not improve though, he is prepared to leave the next summer on a free transfer. But, a transfer to Wolfsburg this close to the transfer deadline day, seems highly unlikely.