Manchester United to sign cut-price world-class defender – and DOUBLE his wages: report

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Manchester United are set to improve their backline with another defender, who they're looking to pay top dollar for

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag makes notes during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Manchester United at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on March 5, 2023.
(Image credit: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Manchester United are prepared to throw more money at their defence in a bid to bolster their backline. 

The Red Devils were humiliated at Anfield this weekend, with Ten Hag's side shipping seven goals to Liverpool, in Manchester United's worst defeat in 90 years. Roy Keane slammed captain Bruno Fernandes after the drubbing, while Ten Hag himself labelled the performance "unprofessional".

All four defenders were particularly poor for United, too, with links emerging now for a star Serie A stopper. 

Bruno Fernandes applauds the Manchester United fans after his side's 7-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield in March 2023.

Manchester United suffered their worst defeat in 90 years at the hands of Liverpool (Image credit: Getty Images)

CaughtOffside are claiming that United want to double the wages of Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni, who has also been linked with Tottenham Hotspur.

"The 23-year-old has the potential to develop into a top-class player and working with a manager like Ten Hag will only accelerate his development," the source says. 

Bastoni is approaching the end of his contract, meaning that the expensive part of the deal would be the wages, rather than the fee itself. Despite this, any move for the Italian doesn't seem likely at this stage. 

United already have Lisandro Martinez on the lefthand side of the defence, with the World Cup winner impressing during his debut season in English football. At left-back, both Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia have been good this season, too. It's unlikely that Ten Hag would field two left-footers in his backline – or move Martinez into midfield. 

Alessandro Bastoni of Fc Internazionale looks on during the Serie A football match between Fc Internazionale and Ssc Napoli. Fc Internazionale wins 1-0 over Ssc Napoli.

Alessandro Bastoni is winding his contract down at Inter Milan (Image credit: Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images)

United are expected to be in the market for midfield cover along with a striker, a new goalkeeper and another centre-back this summer. 

Bastoni is valued at €55 million by Transfermarkt. 

More Manchester United stories

Manchester United are looking to capitalise on their resurgence in the transfer market, with big new signings. Victor Osimhen is one option for €100m, Declan Rice is on the radar and Jeremie Frimpong could arrive as a new right-back. More outlandish theories include signing Kylian Mbappe and selling Marcus Rashford to Arsenal. 

The Glazer ownership are not guaranteed to sell up – despite bids from lifelong fan, Sir Jim Radcliffe and Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford has underlined the importance of positive mentality at Old Trafford. 

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.