Real Madrid have reportedly jumped ahead of AC Milan in pursuit of Diogo Dalot, who could leave Manchester United this summer.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Defensa Central, Real Madrid are the front-runners in the race to sign Diogo Dalot in the summer transfer window. The Spanish giants are eyeing the 22-year-old Manchester United defender as a potential replacement for Alvaro Odriozola, with AC Milan trailing them.
Diogo Dalot arrived at Manchester United in the summer of 2018 amid a lot of hype generated by then-manager Jose Mourinho. So far at Old Trafford, the 22-year-old has struggled to live up to the billing, especially with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer not fancying him a great deal. As a result, the Portugal international spent last season on loan at AC Milan, playing second fiddle to Theo Hernandez and Davide Calabria for the most part.
Back at Manchester United, for whom he has turned out 35 times till date, Dalot’s future is up in the air, and it is likely that he will be offloaded by the Red Devils this summer. The youngster, though, does not have a shortage of suitors, with AC Milan once again keen on landing him while Real Madrid have also emerged in his pursuit.
The Merengues are in a precarious position when it comes to the right-back slot. Alvaro Odriozola has failed to impress at Real Madrid regardless of who is in charge of the first-team. Dani Carvajal struggled with a spate of injuries last term and his fitness situation is now suspect, to say the least.
While Lucas Vazquez did impress in the absence of Carvajal as a right-back and a right wing-back last term, it is unclear whether Carlo Ancelotti will deploy him in the positions next season. Thus, it is no wonder that Real Madrid are keeping their options open in case Odriozola is offloaded, with Manchester United’s Dalot being viewed as a potential replacement.
AC Milan, who wish to land him for a second successive summer, have now gone behind Real Madrid in the race to sign Dalot, although the Rossoneri also hold an interest in Odriozola. As per the report, Los Blancos have now stepped up their efforts to swoop the Portuguese international away from Old Trafford.
Manchester United, on their part, would be open to cashing in on Dalot, having been active in their search for a right-back this summer. To that end, Giovanni Di Lorenzo is the latest such defender to be linked with the Red Devils. As for Dalot, his future appears to be away from Manchester United, with Real Madrid leading the race to sign him.