Man United to use Nani as bait to land Lisbon ace
Published:
The January transfer window may have only just closed but with Manchester United still struggling in the league speculation surrounding the champions will continue unabated.
Despite United boss David Moyes smashing the Old Trafford transfer record with the £37.1m capture of Chelsea star Juan Mata, there is still a pressing need for midfield reinforcement and the latest name attached to a move to the Red Devils is Sporting Lisbon’s William Carvalho.
The 21-year-old has impressed for Sporting this season and would provide Moyes with some much-needed cover for a defence that could soon be without Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
The experienced pair are nearing the end of their United contracts and neither looks likely to extend their stay at Old Trafford.
Ferdinand is finding game time under Moyes increasingly hard to come by, while Vidic is said to favour a move to Italy.
And, with Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones yet to convince in a pairing of any kind, Carvalho could provide the sort of defensive midfield muscle needed to allow them to grow.
The Sporting man would not come cheap however, with his buyout clause rumoured to be around the £37m mark, meaning countryman and current United midfielder Nani could be used as a makeweight.
Nani recently penned a new five-year deal at Old Trafford, but if the recent comments of Anderson – now on loan at Fiorentina – are to be believed, the Portuguese winger is just one of a number of players eyeing an exit.
In a press conference for La Viola the Brazilian claimed many players are looking at life beyond Old Trafford, especially those who have spent a long time at the club.
United currently sit seven points behind fourth-placed Liverpool in the league and are priced at 7/2 to secure a top four finish but regardless of what happens this season, Moyes is expected to make wholesale changes in the summer.
And, with Carvalho already drawing comparisons with Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira, expect Moyes to be one of a number of Premier League managers vying for his signature in the coming months.
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