Manchester United are closing in on Portuguese youngster William Carvalho, according to reports in today’s papers that claim the Sporting Lisbon’s defensive midfielder could soon be on his way to Old Trafford, after the Portuguese giants have identified his replacement in Estoril’s midfielder Goncalo.
David Moyes and his staff have scouted Carvalho for a while now and the Portuguese has been watched in action eight times by United scouts who have been impressed by the 21-year-old’s qualities and have recommended him to the United manager, who is looking to revamp his squad in the next transfer window.
Carvalho, who has represented Portugal at every level from the U17 up to the senior national side, has a release clause of a whopping £37.5m, which United do not seem willing to match – where have we heard this one before? – but they’re expected to work towards securing Carvalho for a cheaper fee.
That, however, could prove rather tricky for Moyes and Ed Woodward given that Carvalho has attracted interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona, which plays in Sporting Lisbon’s hands, particularly considering that the midfielder has still four years left on his current deal.
Carvalho has started 18 of Sporting’s 19 league games, scoring twice and while he’s a defensive midfielder by trade, he can also play further up the pitch in midfield and has, occasionally, filled in as centre-back for both Sporting and Portugal U21.
United’s previous purchases from Portuguese teams tell different tales, with Cristiano Ronaldo proving an incredible success, while Nani failed to replicate his former teammate’s achievements after swapping Sporting Lisbon for United and Anderson can only be considered as an expensive flop.
Carvalho is definitely talented and could become one of the best in his role in the next couple of years, but paying over £30m purely because of his potential seems excessive and, potentially, very dangerous.
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