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Sir Jim Ratcliffe taking over the club’s operations has brought hope of a rebuild for the club. Personnel boosts in particular are paramount to the rebuild we hope for.
Many positions are in dire need of reinforcements, and especially at centre back.
To that effect, 20-year-old Portuguese Antonio Silva has been on Manchester United’s radar. The young man has caught the eye of top European clubs, including the mighty Bayern Munich, according to Sport.
Antonio Silva is best known for his accurate tackling and prowess at winning possession. He is right-footed and normally operates on the right side of a centre-back pairing, although he can also play on the left side on account of being comfortable on both feet.
The Benfica man is valued at around €100 million and at only 20 years old, it speaks to his quality and sheer potential.
Manchester United will definitely be among the top clubs chasing after his signature come the summer transfer window.
It however may prove to be quite an uphill task as German giants Bayern Munich have intensified their pursuit for the defender according to the Spanish publication.
Bayern Munich recently confirmed English defender Eric Dier’s move on a permanent transfer on a contract that lasts until 2025.
But that apparently hasn’t toned down their interest in Antonio Silva.
One of the main reasons for this is that Bayern’s newly appointed sporting director, Max Eberl, is a huge fan of Silva.
The other reason is Barcelona’s reluctance to let go of their Uruguayan defensive stalwart Ronald Araújo.
The German champions were willing to part with €100 million for Araújo in January, but Barcelona complicated the move by refusing to even open negotiations.
After that rejection, Bayern Munich turned their attention to other promising young centre backs, among them being Antonio Silva.
Navigating this potential transfer will be very tricky for United, especially considering what happened the last time they spent close to €100 million on a young, promising talent in the shape of Brazilian Antony.
It is worth noting that Silva already looks like a proper player and will probably not find adapting as hard as Antony has.
To add to that there are other top teams such as Arsenal and Chelsea also interested in the young Portuguese.
This further complicated this potential transfer and adds more competition from rival clubs in England.
