Man Utd: Fabrizio Romano reveals £90m transfer shortlist at Old Trafford | OneFootball

Manchester United have had a roller-coaster start to the Premier League season, and while Scott McTominay's late double over Brentford saw them pick up all three points, things certainly haven't been plain sailing. Erik ten Hag's side have conceded 12 goals from their opening eight league games, and so it's no surprise to hear that the club are already targeting reinforcements in the centre of their defence.

The Red Devils have had to contend with injuries and loss of form, and it appears clear that Ten Hag is keen on bringing in a genuinely quality central defender to compliment his ranks. Now, journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed the club are scouting another player in Sporting CP's Goncalo Inacio in their search for a new centre-back.

Following on from Romano's reveal, we're taking a look at the four centre-back options - valued at a combined £90m - that United are targeting and who could potentially be the best option at Old Trafford.

Goncalo Inacio

Given United's previous success with signing players from Sporting - see Bruno Fernandes and of course Cristiano Ronaldo - it's no surprise the Red Devils have got their eye on raiding the Portuguese side for another one of their outstanding talents. Goncalo Inacio has emerged as one of the cornerstones of a miserly Sporting defence over the past few seasons, and has been part of a back-line that has conceded just seven goals in eight league games this campaign - the second-best defensive record in the division only behind FC Porto.

At just 22-years-old, Inacio would bring a youthful option to this current United back-line, but his style of play and experience of playing in European competition already - he's played a number of games in the Champions League and Europa League already with Sporting - makes him a superb candidate to arrive at Old Trafford. This season, his average of 88.9 passes per game at an accuracy of 89% in Liga Portugal is among the very best in the division - in fact, no-one makes more passes than Inacio, while the man in second, his teammate at Sporting, Ousmane Diomande, makes 72.4.

For Ten Hag's wish of playing out from the back and dominating possession, Inacio does seem like an ideal fit for what the Dutchman wants from his team right now. Given that reports indicate his release clause is around £52m, you would think that would fall under United's budget. Described as a "sensation" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Inacio could be a real statement signing from United were they to get a deal done.

Antonio Silva

One of the most highly-rated talents in all of Europe for any position, there's no questioning there will be a long queue forming if and when Antonio Silva does decide to leave Benfica. Averaging a 7.32 match rating this season as per Whoscored, Silva ranks in the top ten among all players in the league - that despite only being 19. Having already earned five senior caps with Portugal, the teenager is clearly one of those precocious talents who is capable of playing at the highest level right now, and his exposure to Champions League football over the past 18 months will have helped no end.

And, last October after Benfica's thrilling 4-3 win over Juventus in the competition - a game in which Silva scored - former Liverpool star Jamie Carragher raved about the defender's performance, and dubbed him a "superstar".

Jean-Clair Todibo

Linked with a move to United for a couple of seasons now, Jean-Clair Todibo has emerged as a fine defender since becoming a cornerstone of Nice's defence. Barring the 1-1 draw against Lorient in the second game of the season, Todibo has been a virtual ever-present for his side, leading them to second place in the table and marshalling a defence that has conceded just four goals in eight matches - by far the best defensive record in Ligue 1 right now. Former Arsenal star Aaron Ramsay has waxed lyrical about playing alongside Todibo when the Welshman was still at Nice.

In fact, Romano has previously told GIVEMESPORT, that United have "sent their scouts multiple times" to watch Todibo in action, and that he is a player they are following with interest. A player formerly on the books at Barcelona, Todibo could be the kind of game-changing signing for both the here and now but for the future too given his age, and finally take over the mantle from Raphael Varane as the club's next elite French central defender.

Edmond Tapsoba

Plying his trade in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen, Edmond Tapsoba's name has been mentioned as a potential Premier League arrival for what feels like a number of seasons now. It was suggested over the summer that United's top-flight rivals Tottenham were interested in signing him before opting for VfL Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven, seemingly leaving a clear path for Ten Hag's side to swoop in for him now should they wish.

Out of the four names on the list, Tapsoba may represent the surest bet in terms of success and potentially hitting the ground running, playing consistently for a big team already in Germany. Tapsoba also comes with some high praise too, with his former coach at Vitoria, Ivo Vieira, raving about his potential and how he could become one of the best defenders around.