Manchester United race against Aston Villa to sign Torino’s Raoul Bellanova | OneFootball

Manchester United are facing competition from Aston Villa in the race to sign Torino right-back Raoul Bellanova.

Signing a new full-back might be a priority for Man United in the upcoming transfer window given the club’s waning squad depth.

With primary left-backs Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia both injured, United have had to rely on right-backs Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka to cover for their left-sided counterparts, with Dalot and Wan-Bissaka often sharing the task of filling in at left-back while the other plays in their natural position at right back.

Still, United’s defensive depth could be further diminished should Wan-Bissaka leave the club at the end of the season. Reports claim that Inter Milan are among those with an interest in the full-back.

It appears as if United are preparing for the possibility of Wan-Bissaka’s departure, with The Peoples Person relaying that the club sent scouts to observe the performances of 23-year-old Raoul Bellanova.

According to the report, United’s scouts have been impressed with the Italian’s performances for Torino this season. This makes sense given his performance statistics during the current Serie A campaign.

With one goal and six assists, Bellanova is clearly effective on the attack, also completing 58% of his dribbles.

Still, he has not neglected his defensive duties, making 0.9 tackles per game and winning 63% of his ground duels. He has also completed 85% of his attempted passes. (Sofascore)

Unfortunately for United, luring the youngster to Old Trafford could be more challenging than expected as they are not the only team with an interest in him.

CalcioMercato reported that Aston Villa have taken an interest in Bellanova.

While Villa attempted to sign him in January, Torino’s chairman Urbano Cairo blocked the move, Sport Witness explained. Despite both showing an interest in the player, neither United nor Villa have made a concrete offer for the player, the article continued.

Still, even if United are able to garner Bellanova’s interest over their Premier League counterpart, they still have his current club to contend with. The report added that Torino would like to keep him at the club next season and are thus not entertaining offers.

This could make it difficult for United to convince them to part ways with the player, meaning their bid would likely have to exceed the €7 million plus bonuses that Torino paid to bring him to the club from Cagliari.

With gaping holes to fill in other areas of the squad as well, United might have to take a judgment call on this signing from a financial perspective.

Want to be the first to hear breaking Man United news? For carefully selected, crucial updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://bit.ly/United-Breaking-News.