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Man Utd weighing up summer swoop for La Liga defender

Despite Antonio Valencia being one of the top right-backs in the Premier League, Manchester United continue to be linked with a number of replacement options.  The club captain will be 33 before the start of next season but Valencia’s fitness suggests he has a few more years at least left at the top.

Today we are being linked with a move for Real Sociedad right-back Alvaro Odriozola over the summer.  The 22-year-old is in his first full season as a starter for the Basque club having broken into the first team last season.

Odriozola has made 25 La Liga appearances (24 starts) this season and a further six in the Europa League and has apparently impressed Jose Mourinho and Manchester United scouts.

The Sun are reporting that we would only need to spend £18 million to acquire the full-back, which in today’s market is nothing.

Although Valencia is 32, we do have youngsters Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Axel Tuanzebe to return from Crystal Palace and Aston Villa respectively before the start of next season.  Matteo Darmian is still on our books though the Italian international may be offloaded over the summer.

Alvaro Odriozola is a highly-rated right-back in Spain and has two caps for the national team, keeping a clean sheet in both appearances.  He is a pacey defender who ventures forward and helps with creating chances for teammates in the final third.

Whether he will be part of the Spanish national team at the World Cup remains to be seen, but if he is we could do with agreeing a deal before the tournament kicks off in order for his value not to sky rocket.