Manchester United have reportedly suffered a blow in their pursuit of RB Leipzig centre-back Castello Lukeba, with Real Madrid set to enter the race for his signature.
The Red Devils managed to come back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 with Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon, but the draw highlighted the weaknesses within the squad despite their fightback.
Ruben Amorim's side are currently 15th in the Premier League table with just 30 points after 23 matchweeks, and the Portuguese boss has struggled to implement his playing style.
United's only signing in the January transfer window was wing-back Patrick Dorgu, but it would be surprising if the defender made a transformative impact on the XI.
Amorim undoubtedly needs more signings to fully mould United in his image, but the Mirror claim that centre-back target Lukeba is not only wanted by Liverpool and Chelsea but also Real Madrid, who have identified him as an alternative to Arsenal's William Saliba.
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How dire is United's situation?
United's draw against Everton meant that Amorim has now earned 15 points from his 15 Premier League games in charge, losing eight and drawing three.
The club's only hopes of qualifying for Europe this season rest on them winning the Europa League, but with a two-legged tie against Real Sociedad to come in March, the Red Devils could soon find themselves eliminated from the competition.
Given Amorim uses a back three system, he could struggle to turn his side's fortunes around without specialist reinforcements in the backline, especially as Lisandro Martinez will miss months of action, Harry Maguire is into his thirties and Matthijs de Ligt has so far been inconsistent.
Lukeba's profile would make stylistic sense considering he is adept at defending in wide channels, but without improved performances on the pitch, it is difficult to see why the Frenchman would opt to move to Manchester ahead of Real.
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Are United able to compete with the European elite?
While United must bring in additional signings if they are to compete with the likes of Real Madrid on the pitch, co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has implemented numerous cost-cutting measures during his time at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils are hamstrung by financial issues, and any major purchases may have to be funded by sales of players like Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho.
Other teams like Liverpool do not have to contend with such problems, while others such as Chelsea and Real have shown that they will spend significant sums on their targets.
However, perhaps the one saving grace for United is that they did manage to beat Los Blancos to the signature of teenage centre-back Leny Yoro in the summer of 2024, and perhaps they can do so again in the upcoming transfer window.
Lewis Nolan
