Manchester United were strongly linked with Leighton Baines this weekend- but at £17 million, the asking price remains an issue for the Old Trafford club.
So we have drawn up a shortlist of five alternatives to provide competition for and eventually replace Patrice Evra. Here they are…
Aly Cissokho
Age: 24 Club: Lyon
French international Cissokho established himself at Porto in 2009 before his impressive displays saw him snapped up by Lyon for around £12 million, who narrowly beat interest from AC Milan. He has gone onto make more than 130 appearances for the French side in three seasons, including 47 last year. He has been linked with a move to United over the past month, with Italian sides Roma and Juventus also said to be interested. At 24 he is ready for the next stage in his career, and replacing Evra for United could help him do so for France. He has even stated the Red Devils as his preferred destination, and could be available for around £10 millon.
Jetro Willems
Age: 18 Club: PSV
Willems is a raw talent, as we saw at Euro 2012, but his emergence was one of the few positives to take from a dismal campaign for the highly fancied Dutch. Last season was truly a breakthrough one for him, before it he had just 13 appearances for Sparta Rotterdam under his belt, and immediately impressed on making it into the PSV first team. Certainly ‘one for the future’, he would provide a good option for United, but fans may prefer to see a defender ready to make an impact now, for he could fall into the same trap as Fabio da Silva, stuck behind Evra – needing to go out on loan to gain experience. If United are keen, then a bid of around £10 million would again get their man.
Bryan Oviedo
Age: 22 Club: FC Copenhagen
Costa Rican born Oviedo is a coveted prospect with just one year left on his current contract in Denmark. This means United could sign him up for as little as £2 million. A full international, he made 26 appearances for his club last season domestically, plus four in the Europa League – and made 10 assists. He was linked with a move in early June to the Red Devils, and like Cissokho, said United would be his first choice above other clubs. He can also play further forward and provide cover in left-midfield.
Marcel Schmelzer
Age: 24 Club: Borussia Dortmund
German international Schmelzer is Dortmund’s first-choice left-back, and not one they would like to lose, especially to United, who recently signed star man Shinji Kagawa. However the German already has two Bundesliga medals in the bag and could be after a fresh challenge. At 24, he is the right age to take over from Evra, and United’s scouting department will be fully aware of him. He made 28 league appearances last season, including one goal and four assists, and his crossing is considered to be one of his top attributes. His international opportunities have been limited by the excellence of Philipp Lahm, four years his senior, but he so far has six caps and is expected to gain plenty more in the future.
Emerson de Conceicao
Age: 26 Club: Benfica
Brazilian-born Emerson would be a solid option for United to pursue at left-back. Signed by Benfica from Lille last summer, his excellent performances have kept Spanish World Cup winner Joan Capdevila out of the first team. With Fabio da Silva linked with a loan move to Benfica, United could attempt to try to engineer a permanent deal for Emerson to come the other way. Despite being born in Sao Paolo, he is eligible to play for France, but is yet to be capped for either country. He made 37 starts in total last season and likes to get forward to join the attack. He could be available for as little as £7 million.
Which of these would be the best option? Or Should United pay £17 million for Leighton Baines?
image: © nasmac
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