Man Utd set to activate €36m release clause of star Serie A defender

Manchester United will activate the release clause of Roma centre-back Kostas Manolas in the summer, according to reports in Italy.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is on the lookout for new defenders as he looks to resolve United’s issues at the back, with Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld understood to be his main targets.

However, Manolas could prove to be a better value-for-money option, thanks to the €36m release clause in his contract. The Greek defender has spent the last five seasons with the Serie A club, and according to the Rome edition of Leggo, United are now ready to end his spell in Italy.

The Old Trafford club will face competition from Juventus for the 27-year-old, who recently hired Mino Raiola – the man who helped arrange Paul Pogba’s transfer back to United – as his new agent. Arsenal have also been linked.

Manolas is under contract until 2022, but if Roma fail to make the top four this season, he will be one of several big name players likely to be sold.

He has made more than 200 appearances for the side from the Italian capital, as well as being capped 39 times by Greece.

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