Manchester United eyeing move for Juventus-owned Atalanta defender - Reports

Manchester United are expected to go on a spending spree in the coming transfer window. The Red Devils are now reported to be keen on bringing Atalanta defender Cristian Romero, who is currently on loan at the club from Juventus.

The Red Devils have been linked to numerous players this summer, including the likes of Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish and Paulo Dybala. However, Manchester United also require a top-class defender who can partner club captain Harry Maguire for the foreseeable future.

📝 | #MUFC are interested in Atalanta’s 23-year-old defender Cristian Romero as they look to sign a centre-back this summer transfer window [Sky] pic.twitter.com/X1yL3ckNZZ

— UtdXclusive 🔰 (@UtdXclusive) May 12, 2021

Manchester United want to sign a defender in the summer

Cristian Romero is currently on a two-year loan deal from Juventus at Atalanta. However, according to reports from Sky Sports, Atalanta are looking to outright buy the Argentinian defender before selling him in the future.

According to the report, Atalanta could ask Manchester United to pay upwards of €40 million to land Romero. The 23-year-old has been left frustrated by the lack of opportunities at his parent club. Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo decided to loan out the promising defender despite Juventus' aging defense.

Cristian Romero has been rock solid for Atalanta. (Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)

However, Juventus' loss could be Manchester United's gain. The Argentine is now regarded as one of the brightest young defenders in the Serie A and would be a great addition to the Red Devils' squad.

Manchester United are in dire need of a new centre-back to partner Harry Maguire. Swedish defender Victor Lindelof is quite susceptible to errors while Eric Bailly's injury record hasn't been the best. A young defender would do a world of good for the backline of Ole-Gunnar Solskjaer's team.

Atalanta can sell Romero to Manchester United on a huge profit as they have the option to make the loan deal permanent for a mere €16 million. If they decide to sell defender to Manchester United, they can make a profit of about €25 million.

However, Romero isn't the only defender on Solskjaer's radar. Manchester United are also keeping a close eye on Lille defender Sven Botman and Sevilla's Jules Kounde.

Manchester United are interested in Atalanta's Cristian Romero as they look to sign a new centre-back this summer.

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 12, 2021

Cristian Romero has been rock-solid for Atalanta this season. The Argentine has played 39 times in all competitions, scoring 3 goals along the way. Despite being 23, Romero is yet to represent Argentina at the senior international level. However, a full international cap can't be too far away if he continues to impress.