Bharath Rammr
Manchester United are reportedly struggling to find offers for defender Matteo Darmian, who is not in the plans of manager José Mourinho. Despite being an Italian international, Darmian never had favour from Mourinho right from the start of the campaign. He has been featuring in the first team of late, but it is only as a result of several injuries forcing the manager to look at some of the reserve players. It is widely believed that Bastian Schweinsteiger’s return to the first-team is also a case of United struggling to fill the bench due to the injuries.
Darmian has found a place in the United first team since the end of October. After being the first choice left back for United throughout the month of November, it remains to be seen if the 27-year-old will be able to retain his first-team spot ahead of players like Luke Shaw. Even though he continues to be a regular fixture in the United team as of now, rumours continue to swirl about his future. Darmian has been linked with a January exit or at least in the summer, as United continue to be linked with several defenders, especially from Portugal.
The Red Devils, though, are finding a unique problem with regard to shifting Darmian. Even though there has been some interest from Inter Milan and Juventus, both clubs are not ready to come in with a concrete offer according to the latest reports from the Sun. The defender has a contract with United until the summer of 2019. At 27 years of age, his resale value would be of major importance for clubs looking to bring him in the summer. Even if a concrete offer does come, United are likely to make a substantial loss on the €18 million investment made by the club in the summer of 2015.
Benfica defender Nelson Semedo continues to remain as one of the important targets for United in the defensive positions. The 23-year-old has been an integral part of Benfica this season. He has been only one of the two players not to miss even a single game in the campaign. A major stumbling block towards a potential deal would be the €80 million release clause in his contract. Even though any club would not be prepared to pay this extravagant transfer fee for the youngster, Benfica can at least hold out for a better transfer offer from interested parties.
On the other hand, the Express Sport has reported that Manchester United have been looking at Internacional’s Ramon Carvalho. The midfielder has been of the standout players at the Copa Ipiranga U20. Since his contract is coming to an end, he would be an attractive proposition for United to sign in the January transfer window. The talented Brazilian is also keen to have made United his first option.
