Transfer News: Manchester United lead ahead of Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund for Porto winger Luis Diaz
According to Portuguese news outlet O Jogo (h/t ESPN), Manchester United are leading Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund in the race to get the services of Porto winger Luis Diaz in the summer transfer window. He has been tearing it up in Liga Portugal Bwin, which has attracted attention across Europe.
Ralf Rangnick is a ‘big fan’ of the Colombian and could give his approval to Man United regarding a summer move. The forward has a release clause worth €80million in his current contract, but it will reduce to around €50million at the end of this season. That makes him an exciting prospect to sign, considering his form over the last two years or so.
Atletico and Dortmund have been sending scouts to watch Diaz, but the Red Devils are in pole position to sign him regardless of other interests. It is fair to say that Porto would not want to let their star man go for cheap but since there is a release clause, it could make things a bit easier for Diaz’s suitors.
Take advantage!
Since we are ahead in pursuit of the 25-year-old, it would be wise to reach an agreement with his agents as soon as possible. It will be a damning blow if we slip up after taking the lead over our rivals. It would not be easy, though, since Atleti and BVB could provide an environment where the attacker can excel, should he take the chance.
The release clause in his contract for the summer makes the Colombian star an interesting prospect as arguments can be made for him being arguably one of the best players in the Portuguese league right now. He made 28 appearances this season and has scored 16 goals alongside six assists across all competitions.
The Porto forward has been playing mostly as a left-sided midfielder this campaign but he is also suitable to be used in an advanced role. He has continued to improve for two years and could yet hit newer peaks, making him one of the highly-rated players in the talent-producing factory that is the Portuguese league.
The South American is an attacking powerhouse who is an astute dribbler with an eye for making dangerous runs down the left-hand side. Rangnick has been using a 4-3-3 system recently, which means that he may just slot into the left-hand side if we end up signing him.
But until then, we could have a new manager as the club is set to appoint Rangnick’s successor in the summer. Nevertheless, whoever is at the helm, a player like Diaz would only strengthen their team.
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Anthony Martial is set to leave on loan to Sevilla and his long-term future at Old Trafford remains up in the air. Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani will become free agents next summer, so there is a need for attacking signings. Whether the Porto superstar would be the one to take over in such a case or not remains to be seen.
We have Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood, and Amad Diallo to play on the right flank already, so strengthening the left-hand side is something that could be beneficial for us in the long term now.
