Manchester United have reportedly put together a three-man shortlist of potential right-back recruits as Erik ten Hag attempts to bolster his defence in January.
The Red Devils have been on the hunt for a right-back for some time despite Diogo Dalot's impressive form. Aaron Wan-Bissaka is expected to leave Old Trafford sooner rather than later having fallen out of favour over the last 18 months.
The £50million man has made just one competitive appearance this season - a four-minute cameo in August’s victory over Liverpool in the Premier League. Should Wan-Bissaka leave, the Red Devils will need some competition for Dalot and it appears they already have a number of targets in mind.
As per Sky Sport Deutschland, Lyon prospect Malo Gusto is an option after impressing for the French side over the past two seasons. The 19-year-old has regularly been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Arsenal and Tottenham reportedly among his admirers.
As well as Gusto - who is out of contract in 2024 - United are said to have a number of other options. Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong remains linked with a switch to Old Trafford.
However, it appears that the Bundesliga club are not too concerned about the 22-year-old's future. Speaking recently, Leverkusen director Simon Rolfes said: “We are very relaxed with Jeremie. It would be fatal if he didn’t draw attention to himself from big clubs with these performances.
“He is very conspicuous with his way of playing and is an enormously important player for us. I told him that he will still get his playing time with his quality within the tournament.
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“He can decide a game with a single action because he’s incredibly quick and good at dribbling. We’ll be happy when he’s back [after the World Cup] with us. Jeremie has a long-term contract at Leverkusen, so we’re very relaxed.”
Another option could be Frimpong’s international colleague Denzel Dumfries. The Dutchman triggered a race for his services with his performances at Euro 2020, with Inter Milan sealing a deal to sign him from PSV Eindhoven.
The right-back has continued his electric form at San Siro, as well as the World Cup in Qatar. However, a deal for Dumfries might be the most difficult to strike of the trio.
Inter have reportedly taken the stance that they will only sell in the winter should they receive a huge offer, whilst Chelsea are also thought to be interested.
When asked about a potential move to Stamford Bridge, the 26-year-old said: “Of course it’s a big compliment to be linked with Chelsea, but playing for Inter it’s big compliment too. Chelsea move in January? I’m focused on nothing else but national team and Inter.”
