Flamengo, a Brazilian club, is interested in signing Manchester United defender Alex Telles this summer.
The left-back is expected to leave United this summer, and he, along with fellow out-of-favor defender Eric Bailly, did not report for the first full day of pre-season training on Saturday. Erik Ten Hag, United’s manager, has no intentions for either defender in his squad for the upcoming season.
Telles joined Sevilla on loan for the season, but the Spanish club will not sign him permanently this summer. United have been looking for a suitable replacement for the Brazilian, who arrived from Porto in 2020.
Last season, the left-back made 38 appearances for the Andalusian team across all competitions, including a start in the Europa League final victory over Roma. Despite this, he has only started 15 La Liga games and there is no desire to sign him on a permanent basis.
Under Ten Hag, Luke Shaw is the established starting left-back, with Tyrell Malacia, recruited from Feyenoord last summer, serving as the primary backup. Diogo Dalot, a natural right-back, has also filled in, and Brandon Williams remains on the roster.
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United risk losing Telles on a free transfer next year, but they can also trigger a one-year extension in his deal until 2025 if they want to keep him. However, it seems likely that they will allow him to leave for a nominal cost this summer in order to clear his income from their payroll.
Flamengo, Brazil’s most popular team, is reportedly interested in signing Telles in order to compete with Ayrton Lucas in the position. Lucas has two caps for Brazil in the previous year, but Flamengo manager Jorge Sampaoli, who temporarily led Sevilla last season, likes the United full-back.
Telles, 30, was bought on the final day of the summer transfer window in 2020 by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for a cost in the region of £16 million. He has made 50 first-team appearances for United but has only scored one goal, which came against Villarreal in the Champions League in the 2012/13 season.
Telles and Bailly, who is returning to United after a season on loan at Marseille, are expected to be among the first to leave the club in the coming weeks. Ten Hag is interested in signing Fred, Scott McTominay, Anthony Martial, and Harry Maguire this summer.
