Manchester United are braced for a busy, and important, January transfer window.
The Manchester United owners need to comply with the Premier League’s rules on Profit and Sustainability (PSR), and that has led to almost every player being made available for transfer.
Confirming their dire situation, United are willing to listen to offers for youngsters Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, despite the pair contributing toward the club’s quota of homegrown talent. Mainoo has emerged as a transfer target for Chelsea while Garnacho has been included in discussions with Paris Saint-Germain.
It isn’t just outgoings the Red Devils are working on though. Recognising the need to bring in players capable of playing in Ruben Amorim’s tactical system, United are looking to sign a new left-sided wing-back.
Ruben Amorim wants Nuno Mendes reunion at Manchester United
Given Amorim’s desire to play with two flying wing-backs, United, with just Diogo Dalot available to play on the left, are lacking in a key area.
And that is why, according to the Independent, Paris Saint-Germain and Portugal left-back Nuno Mendes has emerged as United’s ‘key transfer target’.
Amorim knows Mendes well having worked with him at Sporting Lisbon for two years. The pair lifted the Portuguese title together in the 2020-21 season.
Keen to be reunited with the 22-year-old, Amorim is eager for his new club to complete a deal. Reaching an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain and the player is proving tough, though. United have fallen short of Paris Saint-Germain’s asking price, thought to be roughly £50 million, and failed to meet the players’ salary expectations.
The Red Devils will attempt to improve their opening offers but that could mean a permanent position change for another important Manchester United first-team player.
What signing Mendes could mean for Luke Shaw
Luke Shaw is no stranger to changing positions. The England international, although predominantly a traditional left-back, has played at centre-back on several occasions.
The defender, who, according to Capology, earns £200,000-a-week at Old Trafford, played more centrally against Newcastle United in January 2023. His performance in an unfamiliar centre-back role saw him receive positive reviews and praise from then-manager Erik Ten Hag.
However, while the 29-year-old struggles for consistency due to a string of injuries and fitness-related problems, Amorim must strengthen his backline, and for Shaw, that could mean a new role upon his return.
Already proving his worth as a left-sided centre-back, Shaw’s potential positional switch could solve multiple problems.
Shaw shifting from left-back would free up room in the team for Mendes, or another naturally attacking wing-back, and would also provide competition, as well as cover, for the likes of Lisandro Martinez, who has already started 17 Premier League games this season.
Unlikely to be Amorim’s first-choice left wing-back, United’s experienced number 23 may have to settle for a new role if he is to continue to be an important member of the Red Devils’ first-team.
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