Man Utd's €100m 'top transfer target' for 2024 revealed
Tom Weber
- 27 Nov 2023 15:34 CST
- 3 min read
Antonio Silva will be Manchester United's priority signing in 2024, according to a report.
The Benfica centre-back is a long-standing target of the Red Devils and Man Utd could finally make a move in 2024. The centre-back department has been giving Erik ten Hag headaches since he arrived.
In recent times, the most unexpected of twists has been witnessed at Old Trafford as World Cup winner Raphael Varane has lost his place, with Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and even 35-year-old Jonny Evans now ranking above the injury-prone Frenchman in the pecking order.
Yet, Lindelof and certainly Maguire might not even still be Man Utd players had things panned out differently in the summer. Neither the Swede nor the former club captain particularly impressed last term and both could have been offloaded at the right price. Whether their current form is just a purple patch or will be sustained for the rest of the season remains to be seen, but Man Utd are in the market for a centre-back upgrade regardless.
Ten Hag wants Silva
That number one option to be that upgrade is Benfica's Antonio Silva, according to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, who also broke the news that the Red Devils have enquired about Chelsea flop Timo Werner ahead of a potential January move.
The 20-year-old is highly rated and considered one of the best centre-back prospects in Europe. The towering youngster won't come cheap, however.
His release clause in 2024 will amount to €100 million, which is unpayable for Man Utd in their current state, but may become reachable if players are sold and Sir Jim Ratcliffe's investment makes the necessary resources available.
Benfica have already resigned themselves to losing the talented defender in the summer, but Man Utd likely won't be the only suitor come the end of the window. Though they have flopped in the Champions League this term, the Eagles sit top of the Portuguese league and Silva's stock will only continue to rise if he marshalls another title-winning defence as he already did last season.
