Manchester United linked with Porto full-back Alex Telles

Manchester United are close to completing their second signing of the summer transfer window. Porto left-back Alex Telles has reportedly attracted the interest of Ole Gunnar Solskjær, and the Guardian are reporting that a deal for the 27-year-old Brazilian could be completed by the end of the week. The player would likely be earning around £75,000 a week.

Though United appear to have agreed personal terms with the player, Ed Woodward is still quibbling over the transfer fee. Telles has a release clause of just over £36 million, though the Reds are hoping to shave a further £10m off the price tag as he begins the final year of his contract. Telles joined Porto from Galatasaray four years ago, and during his time at the Turkish giants he spent a season on loan at Inter Milan. He received his only international cap in a friendly against Panama last year.

It is well-known that United are in the market for a left-back, and recently missed out on young Spaniard Sergio Reguilón, who left Real Madrid for Tottenham Hotspur. Telles would perhaps be a less exciting signing, but he’s got an impressive goalscoring record—not least as a fine penalty taker—and would offer the kind of dynamism and technique that Luke Shaw has utterly failed to provide. It would be a relatively low-risk transfer, and one that seems to make good sense.