Porto interested in Jesse Lingard

There is good news for Jesse Lingard, with the possibility that he will exit the club on loan in the coming days.

Manchester United’s winger has found himself dropping down the pecking order at Old Trafford after a couple of seasons of indifferent form. The 27-year-old has failed to kick on after emerging in the first team under Louis van Gaal, and while he was appreciated by Jose Mourinho he has been found wanting by current manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

While Solskjaer wanted to strengthen down the flank, he missed out on his main target, Jadon Sancho, as Borussia Dortmund were not willing to compromise on their asking price of around £110 million.

Instead, United brought in Facundo Pellistri from Uruguayan side Penarol for £10 million, and Amad Diallo will join from Atalanta for around three times that figure later in the season. With Mason Greenwood the first choice on the right wing, with Daniel James and Juan Mata also options on the flank, it appears that Lingard will find regular game time hard to come by.

As the rescheduled Euro 2020 comes into sight, Lingard may wish to make a switch to make sure he gets more regular minutes on the pitch in order to force his way back into contention under Gareth Southgate.

Reports suggest that he may find a new club on a season-long loan, with Portuguese side Porto interested in the forward.

The transfer deadline for English clubs to buy from abroad has now passed, but they can still buy from the Championship and below if they identify a target. They had suggested to Watford that they take Ismaila Sarr on loan for a season but they would only countenance a permanent transfer.

If United can shift Lingard out the door, as the Portuguese deadline runs until 25 October, that may help balance the books after a late flurry of activity.