Manchester United are reportedly considering a €36 million summer move to land Serie A star Kostas Manolas from AS Roma.
According to a report by TEAMtalk, Manchester United have turned their attention towards Kostas Manolas in their bid to sign a centre-back in the summer transfer window. The Premier League giants though, will have to meet his €36 million release clause to sign the Greek star from Serie A outfit AS Roma.
Kostas Manolas has come a long way since he joined AS Roma from Olympiacos in the summer of 2014. Nearly five years later, the 27-year-old has gone on to establish himself as one of the best defenders in the Italian top-flight, a league which is usually hailed for producing defensive stalwarts.
But, with Roma currently outside the top four, there is a good chance that they will miss out on playing in the UEFA Champions League next season. And, failure to qualify for Europe’s premier competition could have serious repercussions, as far as player departures are concerned. Manchester United are hoping to take advantage of such an eventuality.
Defence has been the major weak point for Manchester United over the course of this season, with Victor Lindelof the only player who has remained consistent throughout the campaign. While Chris Smalling has been solid lately, the Englishman is known to have spurts of inconsistency in him.
The same goes for Eric Bailly and Phil Jones, while Marcos Rojo has become an unreliable figure for Manchester United due to his tryst with injuries in the last few seasons. To that end, it is understandable why the Red Devils are eager to sign a centre-back in the summer transfer window.
A number of defenders have thus, been linked with Manchester United in recent weeks, including Toby Alderweireld and Kalidou Koulibaly. But, Manolas is another player who the Old Trafford-based club are hoping to sign this summer.
As per the report (h/t Leggo), Manolas is now the top target for Manchester United due to the fact that he will be available for just €36 million. The player’s contract, which runs until the summer of 2022, has a meagre release clause worth the aforementioned sum, which makes him an appealing target.
But, if the report is anything to go by, Champions League qualification will be important to secure the services of Manolas, as failure to do so is the prime reason why he would even consider leaving AS Roma. It now remains to be seen if Manchester United are able to land the Serie A star in the summer, or if they lose out in the race to sign him.
