Transfer News: Manchester United left-back Alex Telles in five-man January shortlist of Barcelona
According to the Spanish journalist Gerard Romero, Manchester United left-back Alex Telles is on the five-man shortlist prepared by Barcelona as they try to reinforce the backline this January. He has seen himself play second fiddle to Luke Shaw in recent times, although he did get the nod in the last fixture.
Jordi Alba is the only option in the left-back role, which has prompted Barca to look into the winter transfer market to look for a backup. They have identified Telles as a result and are looking to convince Man United to facilitate a six-month loan to meet their needs.
Juventus’ Alex Sandro, Nicolas Tagliafico of Ajax, Raphael Guerreiro from Borussia Dortmund and Villarreal defender Alfonso Pedraza are the other transfer targets in the shortlist. It remains to be seen who the Blaugrana club would pursue and whether the Red Devils would entertain an offer this month.
Man Utd to sell Telles?
The Catalans can try all they want, but there is no reason for us to sell the 29-year-old unless we receive an irrefutable offer. However, looking at the financial struggles that they are going through at the moment, we cannot see an attempt of those sorts from them.
Plus, we need depth in our left-hand side to get through this entire season, so that gives us more reason not to entertain any requests from the Spanish club. Injuries, suspensions and the current Covid situation could play a role during the rest of the season, so we need enough options to overcome such obstacles.
Shaw cannot be the only fullback in any case, so the Manchester club should reject all offers from the La Liga side. Moreover, we need competition in different positions to ensure that the players would push each other to do their best. That, in turn, would only benefit us through their increased efforts to overcome their peers.
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The Brazilian has not performed to the levels he had shown at Porto, but he may end up doing so in the coming months. Many had thought that Ralf Rangnick’s set-up would help him find his old form, but that has not been the case so far. However, he did look solid during the 2-2 draw against Aston Villa in the Premier League.
The Man United ace also got an assist on the night, which could be the signs of things to come. So we cannot rule him out just yet, and he may end up being successful after all in the coming months. Only time will give us an answer on the matter, and we would hope that it is the case as it would only contribute to the team’s success.
