PL rivals fail with £37.6m bid for Manchester United target playing in Portugal | OneFootball

Transfer News: Porto reject transfer bid from Tottenham Hotspur for Manchester United target Luis Diaz

According to The Guardian, Porto have decided to reject a bid from Tottenham Hotspur for the services of Luis Diaz, who is a transfer target for Manchester United. The forward is one of the most highly-rated prospects in Portuguese Primeira Liga and he could be in line for a big move in the future.

Tottenham are interested in signing Diaz and had lodged a £37.6million offer to bring him to N17. However, the Portuguese club has refuted that attempt as they believe the offer does not meet their asking price. He has a release clause in his contract worth £66million, which prompted them to reject the bid.

Antonio Conte is keen on bolstering his squad, and the Colombian has been identified as a top target to meet their needs. This news would be a big boost for Man United since they would not want one of their direct rivals to get a man of his quality. It remains to be seen whether Ralf Rangnick and co would take action from their side following this update.

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If Spurs are heavily interested in signing the 25-year-old, we could be in trouble. After all, they are the team to take the first step and lodge a bid for the Colombian. The first offer is often one to test the waters, and while there is nothing to suggest they will submit another bid, it wouldn’t be a surprise if it does ever end up happening.

We would be hoping that there would not be enough time for them to finalise a move in the January transfer window. After all, the market is so close to shutting down soon and with the Primeira Liga side rejecting the bid, the odds are increasingly stacked against Conte’s team with each passing day.

As for our interest, it would be wiser to spend funds elsewhere and strengthen in defensive midfield first. That is a position that can use some quality depth. Diaz is certainly a talented winger in the prime of his career but he isn’t really an urgent signing that we need. There are several options for us to stick down the two flanks already.

The Colombian international has featured in 125 games for his current club while scoring 41 goals and 19 assists across all competitions. He would have been a useful signing for us, considering how we could potentially see a clear out in the forward line in the future.

Anthony Martial has left the Red Devils on loan to join Sevilla whereas Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani will become free agents next summer. Cristiano Ronaldo does not have many years left in his playing career and hence, we may need some additions in attack going forward.

However, we are just fine for the time being. It is better to focus on pressing issues such as strengthening our midfield, and then strengthen our frontline later on. With so little time remaining in the window anyway, it would take a concerted effort from any club, including us, if we want to sign Porto’s main man up front midway through a season where they are challenging for the league title.