Manchester United working on £55m deal for centre-back

Manchester United are reportedly prepared to discuss a summer move for Toby Alderweireld with manager Jose Mourinho not convinced by his options at the heart of the defence.
The Portuguese tactician witnessed United concede just 28 goals during the recently-concluded campaign but he is still unimpressed with the options in the defensive department.
As such, The Manchester Evening News claims that United are seeking to pursue Alderweireld from Tottenham Hotspur and they are prepared as much as £55m to push through a summer agreement.
Alderweireld has unquestionably been one of the Premier League most-consistent defenders over the past few seasons but his future at Spurs remains uncertain beyond the summer.
The Belgium international started the 2017/18 campaign as the first-choice centre-back alongside Jan Vertonghen but he happened to lose his place to Davinson Sanchez following a hamstring injury prior to the festive period.
On his return in February, the former Ajax graduate struggled to receive the assurance of regular gametime under Mauricio Pochettino and he finished the season with just 13 Premier League starts.
Taking this into regard, Alderweireld has been reluctant to pen a new Spurs contract beyond the summer of 2019 and the club are now considering his sale, given the one-year option on his contract, has a £25m release clause attached to it.
United boss Mourinho has reinforced the central defensive department over the past two seasons with the signings of Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof respectively but neither have been able to cement a regular starting spot.
Bailly has been by far the club’s best central defender in terms of his tenacity but the Ivorian has suffered a couple of long-term injuries which have hampered his chances of establishing himself.
On the other hand, Lindelof has not quite adapted to the pace of the English game and this saw him being restricted to just 13 starts during his maiden Premier League campaign last term.
Aside from the duo, the likes of Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind have got opportunities to impress in the central defensive department and the former happened to be Mourinho’s common pick during the 2017/18 season.