Sergio Reguilon (Getty Images)
According to claims from Spanish outlet Marca (h/t Manchester Evening News), Manchester United have been credited with an interest in Real Madrid left-back Sergio Reguilon.
The 23-year-old had been on the radar of Chelsea prior to Ben Chilwell’s move to Stamford Bridge from Leicester City but United and Tottenham are now running the rule over the Spaniard. (Marca h/t Manchester Evening News)
As per the report, Madrid are keen to cash in on Reguilon, whose stocks are currently on the rise after winning the Europa League with loan club Sevilla last season. The Los Blancos are set to demand a fee in the region of £18-22million for their academy graduate.
However, MEN Sport (h/t Manchester Evening News) understands that Reguilon is not a priority target for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Sergio Reguilon rose through the youth ranks of Real Madrid and initially featured for the club’s reserve side in the second-tier before making his La Liga debut during the 2018-19 season. The 23-year-old featured 22 times for Madrid in his debut season but was loaned out to Sevilla last summer to enhance his development with more regular minutes.
The former Spanish U-21 international quickly established himself as a regular for Sevilla in the La Liga and ended the 2019-20 season with 2 goals and 4 assists in 31 appearances, guiding his loan club to a top-four finish.
He also made 6 appearances in Sevilla’s triumphant UEFA Europa League campaign and was instrumental as the Spanish side knocked out Man United in the semi-finals.
Make no mistake, Sergio Reguilon encapsulates all the qualities of a modern-day attacking full-back, as evident from his displays in the Europa League last season. The Spaniard is only going to get better with time, so he could be a fantastic signing for any top Premier League club.
That being said, however, Man United already have the likes of Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams to compete for the left-back role at Old Trafford. Shaw had a few struggles with injuries last season as it has been the case with him throughout his career. But United seem to have a real gem on their hands after an impressive breakthrough season for Williams.
The 19-year-old made 35 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions last season, showing strong signs to suggest that he is good enough to thrive at a big club like United.
To put things into perspective, signing Reguilon wouldn’t make much sense for United as they already have two competent left-backs in their squad. In fact, a potential move for the Spaniard would endanger the development of Williams, something that the fans surely wouldn’t want to see.
Shaw is somewhat dispensable given his poor injury record but he’s still only 26 and massively talented. Moreover, Shaw boasts the versatility to slot into a central defensive role in a back-three system, something that makes him a more dynamic asset than Reguilon to Solskjaer’s ranks.
Man United did exceptionally well to secure a third-place finish in the league last term and the next realistic aim for the Red Devils should be to get themselves back as title challengers in English football.
They need to look for a few fresh faces in the summer to bolster their squad heading into the upcoming campaign, but left-back is not a department where any immediate investment is required.