Manchester United target William Carvalho admits he is open to move

William Carvalho in action for the Portugal national team in the 2014 World Cup

Portugal defensive midfielder William Carvalho has admitted he would consider a move away from Sporting Lisbon this summer, according to the Daily Express.

Manchester United have been heavily linked with Carvalho with a move for the 22-year-old, who has also attracted interest from a host of Europe’s leading clubs, including Real Madrid, Juventus, and Monaco.

Carvalho didn’t feature in Portugal’s opening World Cup defeat to Germany, but he came on for the second half against the USA, and played the full 90 minutes in the 2-1 win over Ghana. He was particularly impressive against the USA, helping to provide the impetus that Portugal had lacked in the first half, winning more tackles than the experienced pair of Miguel Veloso and Raul Meireles.

Despite Carvalho’s efforts performances in Brazil, Portugal crashed out at the group stage, and Carvalho now appears to be open to a new challenge at club level.

He said: ”Will I stay at Sporting? I don’t know. I’m going back to Portugal and then we’ll see.”

The powerful midfield enforcer has a release clause of £37.5 million in his contract at Sporting, and Louis van Gaal is thought to admire his ability to regain possession and begin attacks.

It has been a busy few days for Manchester United, with deals for long-term targets Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw completed for a combined fee of around £60 million.