Manchester United insert rare clause into Sergio Reguilon loan deal with Tottenham

Manchester United have signed Sergio Reguilon on loan from Tottenham - and there is a rare clause inserted as part of the deal.

Erik ten Hag has made four signings this window with the acquisition of Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana, Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund and most recently Altay Bayindir from Fenerbahce, who is likely to be the No.2 stopper at Old Trafford behind Onana.

But United have been hit with injuries in a couple of areas of their squad, and the Old Trafford side have spent the day trying to plug the gaps before this evening’s 11pm transfer deadline.

United have recently lost first choice left-back Luke Shaw to injury, joining Tyrell Malacia on the sidelines at Old Trafford and leaving Ten Hag with no recognised senior option in the position.

Diogo Dalot, a right-back, has filled in following the absence of both Shaw and Malacia, while United also currently have Alvaro Fernandez, who had a successful spell last season on loan at Preston North End in the Championship.

But they have managed to bring in reinforcements in that area of the pitch, with Spurs defender Reguilon now officially a United player on a season-long loan.

The 26-year-old defender spent last season on loan at Atletico Madrid and he has now joined United for the rest of this campaign.

United had also been assessing Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella as a potential incoming to fulfil their left-back needs, again on a loan deal, and he appeared to have been their first-choice target before the club switched their attentions to Reguilon.

Sergio Reguilon is poised to join United. (Image credit: Getty)

However, this potential transfer was complicated by a couple of aspects.

Firstly, having played for Chelsea already this season, if Cucurella were to move to United and play, it would have meant he would not be able to represent a third team this campaign if he were to head back to Stamford Bridge at some point.

United had wanted to insert a break clause in the deal for Cucurella so he could return to Chelsea in January, should Shaw and Malacia both be fit again by then, and talks broke down over the lack of this detail.

But according to The Athletic, United have managed to insert a break clause included in the deal to bring Reguilon to Old Trafford, so the Spaniard would be able to return to the Spurs in January if circumstances dictated it. While the clause is commonly used by lower-league clubs, it is not often seen in loan deals to Premier League sides.

Crucially, unlike Cucurella, Reguilon has not played for Spurs yet this season, so if he does return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in January, he would be eligible to play for another team for the remainder of this campaign, either heading out on loan again or with a permanent transfer.

The deal to take Reguilon to United also has no fee attached to it or obligation to buy the defender, while the Old Trafford club will cover his wages.