Manchester United Transfer Rumors 2018: Red Devils Closing in on Napoli's Faouzi Ghoulam
Manchester United seem to be in the market for a new left-back as the January transfer window opens.
Portuguese news outlet Record has reported that Napoli will allow the Red Devils to sign Algerian full-back Faouzi Ghoulam once they secure a deal to bring Benfica's Álex Grimaldo to Italy. Ghoulam signed a new five year deal with Napoli last month, so United will have to spend a significant amount of money if they want him.
"United have been monitoring Ghoulam, but have had to fight off competition from Chelsea and Liverpool," Coral Barry said in his report for Metro.
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"Antonio Conte and Jurgen Klopp have long been linked with a move for Ghoulam, but it seems United have managed to beat their Premier League rivals to the exciting left-back," he added.
According to Record, United will have to pay the reported €60 million (around £54 million) release clause in Ghoulam's contract. Reports from Italy have also indicated the same thing.
Well, that fee is quite high for a defender. Interestingly, manager José Mourinho has recently complained about Manchester City spending "striker money on full-backs." Will he do the same thing after criticizing Pep Guardiola's transfer moves?
In any case, United are clearly looking towards the future because their chances of winning the Premier League title are quite slim this season as Manchester City continue to dominate.
Veteran winger Ashley Young has slotted seamlessly into the left-back position for the Red Devils this season, but he's not a natural fullback and the club could really use a tireless runner like Ghoulam. Of course, he still has to prove that he's better than the likes of Luke Shaw, Daley Blind, Matteo Darmian and Marcos Rojo.
Ghoulam is expected to miss the rest of the season after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during Napoli's Champions League game against Manchester City on Nov. 1 last year.
