Manchester United will spend the last week of the 2023 summer transfer window focusing on how to solve their crisis at the left back position. Both their first choice, Luke Shaw, and their second choice, Tyrell Malacia, are out injured for the long-term. Their short list of potential replacements includes Marc Cucurella of Chelsea and Sergio Reguilon of Tottenham Hotspur. has been short, but it looks like it may already be up soon. The former Brighton defender is widely considered a flop, and justifiably so
This is according to The Guardian, but reports in Spain are making it sound like this narrative is actually further along.
?BREAKING!?#MUFC are considering a loan move for either Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella or Tottenham’s Sergio Reguilón?
??@SkySportsPL pic.twitter.com/kz7651XcrL
— Stretford Paddock (@StretfordPaddck) August 28, 2023
A report in MARCA (h/t Metro) claims that United are “very close” to signing the defender who moved over to Chelsea from Brighton, just last year, for £62 million. Cucurella is considered a flop at Chelsea, as he’s far down the pecking order, under manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The reports indicate that Chelsea are likely to demand an upfront fee from Old Trafford, plus their providing full coverage of all the 25-year-old Spaniard’s wages. We’ll see- that’s a big ask for a guy who really isn’t all that great.
As for Reguilon, he moved to North London for £28 million in 2020, having had a successful loan spell at Sevilla, while he was under contract at Real Madrid. He went back out on loan in the Spanish top flight this past summer, this time with Atletico Madrid, but he only started two La Liga contests.
The 26-year-old does not fit in to the plan, at all, at White Hart Lane, so he needs a new start elsewhere. That new destination could also be Fulham, as apparently, Craven Cottage is interested, and said to be ahead of United right now in the pursuit.
Here is more on that via The Hard Tackle.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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