Manchester United in advanced negotiations for Genoa centre-back Radu Drăgușin | OneFootball

Manchester United ended up squandering a two-goal advantage and were held to a 3-3 draw by Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Andre Onana was culpable for all three goals conceded on the night but as manager Erik ten Hag pointed out, the defence needs to buckle up.

And that statement cannot be questioned with the three-time Champions League winners conceding the second-most goals among the 32 teams in the competition.

United’s defensive worries

Even in the Premier League, United have conceded three times in a game on three separate occasions this campaign.

The squad has been decimated by injuries with the manager hardly having the luxury of picking his first-choice back four this season.

Lisandro Martinez remains sidelined along with Jonny Evans while Raphael Varane’s uncertain future means recruiting a new defender is of utmost importance.

A lot of prominent names like Goncalo Inacio, Marc Guehi and Antonio Silva have been mentioned as targets but with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s entry to be delayed, United are not expected to have significant funds to spend in the winter.

This brings us to ProSport‘s report linking the Reds with a move for Genoa centre-back Radu Drăgușin. The Romanian has impressed since helping the Italian outfit to reach Serie A this season.

Last season in Serie B, the 21-year-old made 40 appearances in all competitions, scoring four times as Genoa got promoted.

He has carried on his impressive displays in the current term as well, scoring and assisting once each in 15 games with the outfit four points clear of the relegation scrap.

His impressive displays have seen the likes of Barcelona, Arsenal, AC Milan, Newcastle and Tottenham “spy” on the centre-back they all have “asked for information” regarding a potential transfer but it seems United are ahead in the race.

Radu Drăgușin talks at an advanced stage

“According to ProSport information, the Red Devils have launched the Drăgușin operation, who they see as the ideal central defender to cover the holes in Ten Hag’s defense.

“Our sources claim that the talks are for the footballer to leave as early as this winter, before the final tournament at EURO 2024. The negotiations between the two sides are being kept secret at the moment, but are said to be very advanced.”

The former Juventus star is said to have a release clause of €30 million inserted in his contract with the report also stating that United are impressed with his low price and his potential.

The Red Devils are said to view him in the same category as club legend Nemanja Vidic. Lofty comparisons indeed! Whether this information has any credibility to it, only time will tell.