Manchester United line up £17 million-rated Sergio Dest ahead of Alex Telles Sevilla loan – Paper Round

United aim to sign Dest

Manchester United have been linked with a move for Barcelona full-back Sergio Dest. The transfer is put forward by The Sun given Alex Telles appears to be on his way to Sevilla (more below). The 21-year-old American international can play on the right flank but is also able to play on the opposite side. He could cost around £17 million, and would be reunited with his former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag.

Paper Round’s view: It is somewhat surprising to see United linked with Dest on the back of the potential exit of Telles, given United have both Luke Shaw and now Tyrell Malacia. Where it would make much more sense is that Ten Hag needs a right-back. Diogo Dalot has stagnated and Aaron Wan-Bissaka is now a drag on the team whenever he plays. Dest could help more there.

Telles set for Sevilla

As mentioned above, United’s left-back Alex Telles has reportedly agreed a deal to join Sevilla on loan. The 29-year-old Brazilian has been pictured in Seville ahead of a year-long loan deal, which will see the Spanish side pay his £90,000-a-week wages in full for the coming season, but there is no loan fee for the arrangement, and there is no option to make the deal permanent.

Paper Round’s view: Telles was a fairly mediocre left-back in his time at United but the fact that he could not dislodge a player as disappointing as Luke Shaw tells its own story of what Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and now Erik ten Hag have made of him. If freeing up his wages allows United to bring in Dest then it is almost certainly the right decisionn.

Lookman linked with Atalanta switch

England’s versatile forward Ademola Lookman is apparently on the cusp of a move to Atalanta. The Serie A side want the 24-year-old player on a £12.5m deal from his current side, RB Leipzig. He has spent the last two years on loan in the Premier League at Fulham and then Leicester City, but now seems set for a switch to Italy with the Daily Mail saying he is set for a medical.

Paper Round’s view: Lookman has looked like a very promising player for years and he still has flashes of excellence. If he can get a consistent run of games for a club he is contracted to for the long term, he could turn those flashes into something more like reliable form. A fee of just £12.5m might prove to be something of a bargain for Atalanta if the deal works out.

Bournemouth hope to sign Neto

Bournemouth are making no concessions when it comes to making sure they can have a decent chance of survival, and to that end they are trying to sign Neto from Barcelona. The 33-year-old Brazilian has been back up to Marc-Andre ter Stegen for the past three seasons but now looks set to move on, as Scott Parker hopes to add to the two goalkeepers he has at the Vitality Stadium.

Paper Round’s view: Neto has experience at Juventus and Barcelona so will not be overawed by the Premier League, which should make him a useful addition in terms of a level head. However he is by no means a brilliant goalkeeper, so this might be a case of Parker looking to bulk out the numbers of his squad rather than improving his first-choice eleven.