Man Utd step up chase for 6ft 4in Italy beast seen as perfect Varane successor – but Ten Hag faces Real Madrid fight

Manchester United are reportedly ready to make a firm approach to sign Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini in a bid to beat Real Madrid to his signature and despite being told any deal will hit them hard in the pockets.

The Red Devils’ inconsistent form this season was encapsulated in one bizarre 90 minutes at Old Trafford on Boxing Day evening as Manchester United roared back from 2-0 down to record a 3-2 win over Aston Villa. Erik ten Hag will now hope his side use the win as a platform in which to build over the second half of the season…

However, United have had many false dawns before over the course of this season – Ten Hag’s second in charge – with the club still having suffered 13 defeats in their 27 games played to date making it their worst ever season (so far) since 1930. Clearly major improvements are needed over the second half of the season if they are to finish as high up as possible in the Premier League, while the FA Cup now represents the only trophy United can realistically win.

Despite the struggles, there are plenty who feel sorry for Ten Hag knowing his side has faced too many disruptions behind the scenes. And while their investment saga around Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been concluded (subject to the Premier League’s conditions being met), there still remains issues around a number of unsettled big-name players.

To start with, United are hoping they can offload Jadon Sancho when the January window officially opens for business in five days time.

But there are also doubts around Raphael Varane, who has himself endured something of a rollercoaster of a season.

READ MORE: Hojlund’s big moment caps rare show of resilience from Manchester United…

Man Utd want Scalvini to replace Varane

Currently back in favour under Ten Hag, Varane has appeared in 15 United games this season, also suffering a spell out of the side too.

During that point, we revealed how the 30-year-old former Real Madrid man had emerged as the latest big-money target for clubs in Saudi Arabia.

Since then, momentum around the story has snowballed somewhat, though it has since been claimed that, while Varane does feel somewhat uneasy at United, he will delay any move away until the end of the season.

Nonetheless, it’s suggested United would still look to move Varane on if a sizeable offer came their way and amid ongoing links with both Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, both of whom would like to strengthen their defensive options.

As a result, it comes as no surprise to see United scouring the globe and considering potential successors to Varane in their defence.

Now reports in Italy insist Ten Hag has settled on towering Atalanta centre-half Scalvini.

The seven-times capped Italy defender stands an imposing 6ft 4in tall and is regarded as one of the best young defenders in Serie A.

However, having spent big on raiding Atalanta for Rasmus Hojlund over the summer, the Serie A side have warned it will take another sizeable chunk of cash to convince them to part with Scalvini.

Man Utd transfers: Ten Hag learns price needed for Italy defender

To that end, it’s reported that only “crazy money” will convince them to sell the 20-year-old in the winter window, with sources stating they are seeking a fee of around €50m (£43.5m) to allow the centre-half to leave, despite a reluctance from the Italian side.

And now, with Real Madrid also reportedly planning a move, it’s been suggested United are willing to pay the required fee to bring Scalvini to Old Trafford next month.

Revealing what he knows, Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla has confirmed it would take a sizeable fee for United to sign Scalvini, while Atalanta are also taking a strong-arm approach with another of their top talents in Teun Koopmeiners.

“It is useless to compare Atalanta’s jewels to some top club for the winter transfer session,” Pedulla wrote on his website

“We are referring to Giorgio Scalvini and Teun Koopmeiners , rightly requested and courted. Scalvini has several top clubs behind him, last summer he was a fixture at Atletico, now Manchester United and Real among others appreciate him. Koopmeiners is systematically linked to Juve, exactly as Napoli made more than one attempt last August.

“But Atalanta, barring sensational surprises and crazy offers, has decided to postpone the discussion until next summer: they do not intend to deprive themselves of the jewels in January, in the presence of an interesting ranking.”

Scalvini is contracted to Atalanta until summer 2028 and has played 74 times for the Bergamo side, scoring four times.

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