Manchester United may be closing in on their first signing of the 2018 summer transfer window and it’s a relatively obscure name- Porto full back Diogo Dalot. If the Dalot deal closes, then United’s first summer signing would be a defender, just like last summer, and also in 2016 and 2014.
Sky Sports reports that United are in talks for Dalot, a 19-year-old who only made eight senior team appearances this past season. However, the Portugese international has been very impressive with the U21s and is reportedly drawing attention from some of Europe’s top clubs.
According to Sky: “Dalot is understood to have a €20m ($23m, £17.4m) release clause in his Porto contract” and United are supposedly willing to meet it. The club’s scouts apparently liked what they saw when they took in Porto’s goalless draw versus Liverpool in UEFA Champions League competition at Anfield.
Dalot played the full 90 minutes against the very vaunted Reds attack, and held his own. Dalot joined Porto’s youth system in 2008, at the age of 9. On 28 January 2017 he made his senior debut with the B team. His primary position is right back, but he can play left back if needed as well. He makes sense as a good fit for United, as Matteo Darmian will likely be moving on this summer, and Luke Shaw’s future is up in the air.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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