Manchester United set for major cut as Real Madrid near Alvaro Carreras deal

Real Madrid are closing in on their new left-back, as they continue to rebuild their defence ahead of the Club World Cup. With deals for Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen already wrapped up, Benfica left-back Alvaro Carreras is next on the agenda for Los Blancos.

Over the weekend it was reported that a deal was ‘90% done for Carreras‘, but since there has been little in the way of movement. According to Diario AS, Benfica and Real Madrid are haggling over the final price of the deal, but it is expected to be done. Xabi Alonso has given the green light for the deal.

The Santiago Bernabeu appears to be his destination, and that is in part because Manchester United have agreed not to get involved. The Red Devils sold Carreras to Benfica for €6m last summer, and have a €18m buyback option. They could have executed that option and looked to sell him on at a profit, but the Madrid-based paper say they have come to an agreement not to get involved in negotiations, and in exchange, Manchester United will receive an €18m cut.

The final cost of the deal for Los Blancos will be somewhere between €40m and €50m. Carreras has a €60m release clause in his Benfica contract, but the Eagles are open to negotiate. President Rui Costa has set €40m as the minimum price for Carreras, but are looking to get closer to €50m for him.

The arrival of the 22-year-old will likely push out one of their existing options. Ferland Mendy has been cited as a potential exit, although there has been some suggestion that he could be reconverted as a central defender in a three. If Mendy does not leave, Los Blancos may look to nudge Fran Garcia towards the door, although he in theory suits Alonso’s football more.