Manchester United to trigger release clause of top transfer target, Eden Hazard makes shock transfer decision and more: Transfer Roundup, 10 April 2019

By Shambhu Ajith

Modified May 23, 2019 07:36 GMT

Ole's edging closer to clinching his first signing for United

Manchester United set to trigger Toby Alderweireld's release clause

Manchester United's defensive woes are well documented. With a backline that can only boast of the likes of Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Ashley Young, the Red Devils' defence is in desperate need of saving and do not want to repeat the mistake of not acting on it like they did last summer.

As such, latest reports are claiming that Manchester United are now all set to trigger Toby Alderweireld's £25 million release clause. The big Belgian centre-back's current contract with the Spurs will expire in 2020 and he is expected to leave the club in the summer.

Manchester United were heavily linked with Toby Alderweireld last summer as Jose Mourinho kept urging the board to sign a quality centre-back who can help shore up their defence. The board, however, refused to back Jose Mourinho and it eventually led to a lot of tension and the Portuguese tactician's eventual sacking.

About the author

Shambhu is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda who focuses on previews, listicles and news articles. An ardent Manchester United supporter since before his teenage years, he started following the Red Devils by age 10 watching MUTV on television. Shambhu is also a highly-revered rapper and a playback singer on Spotify, having a whopping 1 million monthly listeners.

For his articles, Shambhu believes in triple-checking every piece of information, relying on trusted websites like Transfermarkt and Opta, and staying away from speculative publications. He believes that his law degree helped him to be more articulate and meticulous with his content and one of his core strengths is seamlessly involving emotion in his write-ups owing to the love for the sport. For Sportskeeda, has done exclusive interviews with Spanish legends Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando Morientes so far, and his articles boast of a huge readership of close to 50 million.

Shambhu's favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and the Argentine attaining glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment. He believes only Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland could replicate Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's rivalry in the years to come. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson due to the Scot's unmatched longevity at the top.

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Edited by Sripad