Manchester United could re-sign a former player despite Erik ten Hag letting him leave at the end of last season.
Ruben Amorim will get the chance to bolster his options in the January transfer window, with Marcus Rashford linked with a move away from United.
As a result, United have ‘drawn up’ a five-man shortlist of players who could replace the 27-year-old if he were to leave with PSG and Saudi Pro League clubs linked with a move for the player.
United are also thought to be likely to recruit a left-back to solve their shortage in the position, with Luke Shaw sustaining an injury set-back in recent weeks.
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Reports on Friday morning suggested that the club have a “verbal agreement" in place for Paraguayan left-back Diego Leon, who is likely to ‘join’ the club in the summer of 2025.
But another left-back, who is a former United academy product, could make a shock return to Old Trafford.
The player even made the first-team squad on several occasions during Erik ten Hag’s tenure at the club but failed to make a single first-team appearance.
He was an unused substitute during United’s 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest in August 2023 but was loaned to Spanish side Granada in the days that followed, having previously been been on loan at Preston.
According to TBR, Alvaro Fernandez is the subject of interest from United, with the club said to have ‘sent scouts’ to observe him during Benfica’s Champions League match against Bologna on Wednesday as per GiveMeSport.
Fernandez, 21, had joined the Red Devils from Real Madrid in 2020.
In January 2024, he was initially loaned to Benfica and found form, which allowed him to become a regular in the Portuguese giants’ side. His performances earned him a permanent deal, and he signed for around £5m last summer.
The player has a release clause of £42m, but United could re-sign him for as little as £16.5m thanks to a buy-back option, according to the Express.
What Erik ten Hag said about Alvaro Fernandez
Despite Fernandez leaving the club months before, in October, then-United boss Ten Hag revealed that the club were still ‘tracking’ the player.
“I think the process is perfect,” said Ten Hag.
“We loan[ed] him to Preston, he got back, then we loan him to Granada, he didn't play so much there, and of course we, all the time, observed him and now we had the opportunity to sell him.
"But we have a buy-back [clause] so we have control of the situation.
“I think that's what he needed. From Preston, then go to La Liga, go to Portugal [with Benfica], every time stepping up to a higher club and a better league.
"Now we have to see and assess the situation if he can be an option for us. But playing at Man United is not so easy, playing in the Premier League for Manchester United is not so easy.”
Fernandez was named Man United's Under-23 Player of the Year in May 2022 and is highly thought at the club.
Topics: Manchester United, Transfer News, Marcus Rashford, Ruben Amorim, Premier League
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