Reports | Manchester United back in the race for Ruben Dias
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Manchester United are looking for options at centre back and view Benfica’s Ruben Dias as Harry Maguire’s new partner in the heart of defence. The Red Devils have struggled defensively this season, with injuries forcing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to use defensive midfielder Axel Tuanzebe as a defender.
Manchester United are keen on a move for Benfica starlet Ruben Dias but will have to pay big money to acquire his services. According to Portuguese newspaper Record, the Red Devils want Ruben Dias to partner Harry Maguire despite the young defender’s £59 million release clause. The Benfica star was linked to the Old Trafford club for most of the last season and this summer too but a move didn’t materialise. Instead, the club opted to shell out £80 million for Harry Maguire and the former Leicester City defender has had a mixed start to his career in red.
He’s garnered praise for his individual performances but has been criticised for team’s collective effort. The Englishman has made an impact on their back-line but injuries and other issues has seen the club keep just four clean sheets in all competitions. Their struggles are evident across the pitch but at the same time, Manchester United has been plagued by injuries. Anthony Martial, Paul Pogba, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Marcus Rashford have all had spells out injured with the two Frenchman still injured.
That has heaped the pressure on Rashford and company but with no help, they've struggled to step up and perform. Not only that, their back-line has failed to stop opponents from scoring and tt’s why the report adds that Manchester United are keen on a move for Dias. The young Portuguese star has already shown he can lead a team out but his performances for Portugal have emphasized his talent. The 22-year old’s rise has been phenomenal and it has been compounded by the fact that reports indicate that the center-back is set to receive an improved contract in the near future.
The new deal will not only see him pocket higher salary but also will see his release clause rise from ÂŁ59 million to ÂŁ79 million with Dias already crossing the 80 appearances mark for Benfica since being promoted to the first team in 2017. Â
