Man Utd urgently prepare €40m bid to ensure Ruben Amorim isn’t beaten to new defender signing

Manchester United are giving serious thought to accelerating their offer for a Sporting CP defender after a Bundesliga side threatened the chances of Ruben Amorim securing a reunion.

Amorim previously promised he would not raid Sporting for any players in January after leaving them for Man Utd, but sudden developments in Germany may have forced him to make an exception.

Borussia Dortmund are now trying to sign Goncalo Inacio from Sporting, and Man Utd remain interested in the centre-back – so much so that they are now thinking of submitting their own offer.

According to Maisfutebol, Man Utd are now thinking of offering to sign Inacio on loan with an obligation to buy for €40m (£33.6m), which is the same as what Dortmund have in mind.

Man Utd have informed Inacio’s agent – who also represents Amorim and club captain Bruno Fernandes – of their interest, but the representative is on his way to Germany to hold talks with Dortmund.

Nevertheless, that’s only after the agent met with Man Utd in England earlier this week to hold talks about a move to Old Trafford, according to A Bola.

Furthermore, the €40m bid meets Sporting’s asking price and if Man Utd or Dortmund formalise it, the Lisbon side would accept.

READ MORE: David Ornstein reveals how INEOS truly feels about Joshua Zirkzee as forward’s stance on Man Utd exit emerges

Amorim may give Man Utd edge for Inacio

If the battle for Inacio becomes a head-to-head between Man Utd and Dortmund, the Red Devils would hope to benefit from his connection with Amorim.

It was Amorim who promoted Inacio to the Sporting first team and gave him his senior debut.

And so significant was Amorim’s faith in the youngster that, by the end of his reign, only two players had made more appearances under his tenure than Inacio.

Man Utd have to weigh up how much they need another left-footed centre-back to compete with Lisandro Martinez, but Inacio knows how to function in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system.

And with Dortmund pressing, it seems like Man Utd need to act decisively if they want to win the race.

Man Utd transfer news: New left-back arriving/Rashford to Barcelona?

Meanwhile, Man Utd are closing in on their first signing since Amorim took charge – and it’s another left-footed defender.

Cerro Porteno wing-back Diego Leon is travelling for a medical today as he finalises his move.

However, he won’t be able to join the club officially until he is 18 in April, so Man Utd will let him stay at Cerro Porteno until pre-season.

In other news, Marcus Rashford continues to be heavily linked with Barcelona as one of his few concrete options to leave Man Utd.

According to the latest information, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has dropped his demands for Rashford’s move – and Barcelona believe they have a way to fund it.

Letting go of Rashford should ease the club’s wage bill – and Ratcliffe won’t stop there, with Casemiro and Antony also up for grabs.

How well do you know Amorim?