Manchester United receive valuation for defender, but it’s too much
By Kian Long
Manchester United are on the hunt for a defender to sign in January, but they may need to look elsewhere after receiving this valuation from Italy.
If you cast your mind back to the summer, Manchester United were linked with an array of talented defenders. However, they ended up signing no defender of any significance, so their problems from last season remain intact. In fact, you could argue that United’s defensive frailties are more prominent this season than they were last season, conceding a total of 16 goals so far.
I mean, when you’re playing Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling at the back, then you can’t really have any complaints. Jose Mourinho recognises this, which is why he’s on the lookout for a world-class defender in January. According to The Sun, Fiorentina value their young defender Nikola Milenkovic at £40m, but United are only willing to pay £30m.
This is fair enough.
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As a United fan, you shouldn’t be too negative by the board’s decision. They have no reason to be hysterical and throw the money wherever centre back options are, because they still have a few months to assess their options.
Besides, it’s hard to put forward a case that Milenkovic is worth £40m. In my eyes, it’s just the classic tale of foreign clubs trying to up their price whenever Premier League clubs are involved, because they know that’s where all the money goes nowadays. You can’t blame Fiorentina, really.
Mourinho has options elsewhere.
As we’ve already discussed recently, there are plenty of options for Mourinho and company to invest in a centre back this winter. It’s a problem they’ve been looking to solve for some time, so I’m certain they’ll be aware of this.
Must Read. Three centre backs Manchester United should look at in January. light
The likes of Toby Alderweireld spring to mind, with Harry Maguire signing a new contract at Leicester City recently, making him harder and more expensive to sign.
The most important thing for the fans, and of course, the long-term future of the club, is that the board doesn’t rush into any decisions. They mustn’t panic buy, or go after players just for their big name, we’ve seen this fail with the likes of Angel Di Maria and of course, Alexis Sanchez.
Next. Three lessons learned from Manchester United's stalemate with Chelsea. dark
Do you think that United should go ahead and pay the £40m fee for Nikola Milenkovic, or should they begin to look elsewhere to solve their defensive calamities? Leave your thoughts down below!