Manchester United planning to restructure January bid for Goncalo Inacio – Man United News And Transfer News

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Manchester United’s makeshift defence held firm as they clinched a 1-0 victory over Premier League new boys Luton Town before heading into the international break.

Following long-term injuries to Lisandro Martinez and Jonny Evans, manager Erik ten Hag opted to start Harry Maguire alongside Victor Lindelof at the heart of the defence.

Raphael Varane had to be content with a place on the bench with the Frenchman’s niggling injuries a reason behind his lack of minutes recently.

United need a new defender

Reports have indicated that a tiff might have developed between the World Cup winner and the United manager but simply put, the former Real Madrid superstar’s poor injury record and recent performances have meant Ten Hag’s current stance is justified.

To tackle the multiple injuries at the back, the Red Devils must recruit an elite-level defender as early as January in a bid to fix things.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is expected to become a minority stakeholder at the club very soon and behind-the-scenes changes are expected at the club, which could accelerate transfer dealings as well.

As per Correio da Manha in Portugal (via Team Talk), Goncalo Inacio is being eyed by the INEOS chairman as the first signing of the new era and the 20-time English champions even have a payment plan in place for the centre-back with a €60m release clause.

The Peoples Person had reported about United being in pole position should a move to England materialise and the latest report claims United “do not find the price tag intimidating” and are willing to restructure their bid.

Inacio in, Varane out?

United plan to pay a guaranteed €45 million upfront while the rest of the €15 million will be made up of bonuses and add-ons.

The Reds are “hopeful” they can conclude the deal as soon as possible with the cordial relationship between both outfits also considered a key factor.

United have signed current skipper Bruno Fernandes from the Portuguese giants as well as legend Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani during Sir Alex Ferguson’s time.

To make the deal smoother, Varane is expected to be moved on with multiple Saudi Arabian clubs eyeing a deal for the former French international.

His sale is expected to fetch a decent sum which will then help United’s pursuit of the left-footed Portuguese star.