It looks like Manchester United are planning for the long-term future and with the club having been linked with a host of big name players, they have now been linked with Valencia midfielder Carlos Soler, who is starting to make an impact in the La Liga this season.

After coming through the ranks at Valencia, he has made the step up from the B team into the first-team. Last season, he made 39 appearances for the B team and scored 3 goals. His switch to the first-team has been quite seamless, with the player managing the same goal tally in just 18 games for Valencia.

Soler’s performances have not gone unnoticed with Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho being keen on the central midfielder, who has the ability to potentially replace Michael Carrick in the long term. A huge attractive aspect in the chase to sign the player is that his contract runs out in the summer of 2018. Valencia have been unable to come to terms with the player, although it would take a good sum of money in order to sign him in this upcoming summer transfer window. This is due to the player’s release clause standing at a reported £25million.

Valencia will be willing to negotiate a far lower figure considering that the player’s contract runs out in just over 12 months. Even though the club would be able to receive a substantial training compensation, it would still be lesser than the fee that they would receive from selling the player.

A major challenge when it comes to convincing Soler to join United is the availability of first-team opportunities. As a club with a huge competition for places, Soler is not guaranteed of a first-team place straight away. Furthermore, United are very keen on strengthening the midfield in the summer with the club are reportedly in advance of the negotiations for the transfer of midfielder Bernardo Silva from Monaco for around £42.5million. At just 20 years of age, Soler is at a time when he needs a lot of first-team opportunities in order to develop as a footballer. One of the potential solutions could be an immediate loan back to Valencia after signing for United.

Yet, Jose Mourinho may just be able to convince the player that he will be a part of the first-team and will be able to get appearances in a substantial number of games. If United do have a similar 2017-18 season in which they fight on all fronts, there is every possibility of Soler getting a good run of games.