Amorim enters race for award-winning Italy star

Manchester United could challenge Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur for the signing of Atalanta star Giorgio Scalvini, with a report revealing he is warming to a Premier League move as well as how much he might cost.

Scalvini is a 21-year-old centre-back who has already amassed 107 first-team appearances for Atalanta, despite his tender age. He made his debut for Atalanta in October 2021, aged just 17, and has since emerged as one of the best young defenders in Europe.

Scalvini is a right-footed centre-half who stands at an imposing 6ft 4in tall. He uses his long frame to make tackles and intercept opposition passes, while he also has great positioning and is comfortable playing out from the back.

Scalvini is showing he has what it takes to make the step up from Atalanta and join a bigger and richer club, with the Premier League one potential destination.

Various reports have named Scalvini as Newcastle’s top target defensively, but with other clubs joining the chase it could become more difficult for Eddie Howe’s side to complete his signing.

The i Paper report that Man Utd and Tottenham have entered the frame for the youngster’s capture, having been dazzled by his dominant performances in Serie A.

Juventus and several other Italian clubs are also keen on Scalvini, but they could miss out on him due to the financial might of the Premier League.

The eight-cap Italy international, who won Tuttosport’s Best Italian Golden Boy award in 2023, has only played in his home country so far, though that could change this summer.

He is ‘intrigued by the possibility’ of starring in England and is ‘flattered’ by the Premier League interest in his services.

So far, Newcastle have done the most groundwork to bring Scalvini to England. However, they are concerned that he might be too expensive to sign as it ‘would take an offer north of £50million’ (€58m / $67.5m) to get Atalanta to consider his sale.

This significant price tag gives Man Utd work to do as well. They look set to use most of their transfer budget on the attacking midfield roles, having spent £62.5m on Matheus Cunha and entered talks with Brentford over a potential £65m deal for Bryan Mbeumo.

But United could finance a deal for Scalvini by selling unwanted players such as Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Antony and Tyrell Malacia. Sancho is close to joining Juventus, while Barcelona have reportedly made Rashford their No 1 winger target.

Sandro Tonali has spoken to his Italian compatriot Scalvini about a summer switch to St James’ Park, having talked up Newcastle as a club and manager Howe.

This could be crucial for Newcastle to win the race, as Man Utd have shown they still have serious pulling power even without European football. Indeed, both Cunha and Mbeumo signalled early on in negotiations that they only wanted Man Utd, despite Ruben Amorim’s side having lost the Europa League final to Spurs.

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Man Utd eyeing Giorgio Scalvini, Jarrad Branthwaite

Scalvini is not the only central defender Man Utd are looking at, as they are still monitoring Jarrad Branthwaite even after his new contract at Everton.

It emerged on Friday that Branthwaite has a release clause in his new deal which could facilitate a transfer to Old Trafford next summer.

Man Utd already have Leny Yoro on their books, but they are looking for other top young centre-backs to help them create one of the best defences in Europe.

TEAMtalk revealed on June 23 that Newcastle hold concrete interest in Scalvini, having scouted him for two years, and now the transfer race is heating up.

Man Utd transfer news: Mbeumo latest; ‘world-class’ signing option

Meanwhile, a trusted source has provided the latest as Man Utd look to add Mbeumo to their forward ranks.

United are evaluating goalkeepers on the market as Amorim has been left disappointed with Andre Onana’s displays.

The Red Devils have been gifted the chance to sign a ‘world-class’ replacement, reports claim.

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