Manchester United will reportedly trigger a one-year extension clause in Diogo Dalot's contract ahead of the January transfer window.
The Portugal international's existing deal expires in June 2023, but the Red Devils have the option to extend it by a further 12 months. Marcus Rashford, 24, and Luke Shaw, 27, are in a similar position, as the Old Trafford club are also expected to trigger their clauses.
Dalot, 23, has become United's first-choice right-back this year after a difficult start to his Premier League career. The defender was signed by former Untied manager Jose Mourinho in the summer of 2018 but played just 23 games during his debut campaign.
Mourinho was sacked just six months after Dalot's arrival and his successor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wasn't a big fan of the youngster. He made just one appearance for United during the 2020/21 campaign and spent the second half of that season on loan at AC Milan.
Dalot impressed during his time in Italy - breaking into the Portugal's senior squad - and managed to displace Aaron Wan-Bissaka in United's starting XI last season after Solskjaer was sacked and temporarily replaced by Ralf Rangnick, playing 30 games that term.
Dalot has continued to be a mainstay in United's team this season following the summer appointment of Erik ten Hag as manager. And, according to the Manchester Evening News, the right-back is hopeful of receiving a new contract from the Dutchman.
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It's claimed United will trigger the one-year extension clause in Dalot's contract before the January transfer window opens, as players are allowed to negotiate pre-contract agreements with overseas clubs when they enter the final six months of their contracts.
Extending Dalot's contract would ensure United don't lose the player on a free transfer next summer and will give them another year to negotiate a fresh deal. Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Roma and Milan are all believed to be monitoring his situation.
Dalot is expected to be part of Portugal's squad for this year's World Cup in Qatar and scored twice in his country's 4-0 win against Czech Republic in Prague on Saturday. He has won six senior caps to date and was part of the squad for last summer's Euros.
Dalot was compared to United legend Gary Neville by former boss Mourinho in 2018. Neville spent his entire club career at Old Trafford and won countless honours for the club - including eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups and two Champions Leagues.
The Portuguese coach said: "Everybody knows that he has fantastic potential. I don't want to compare, especially not the number of titles but he is probably the same age as Gary Neville when he came into the first team.
"Probably he can follow Neville in this dynamic of more than 10 years as United's right-back, with amazing conditions to improve, because as I was saying he's 19 years old."
