Man Utd Pursuit of Sergio Reguilon Held Up by Buy-Back Talks

Manchester United's interest in Real Madrid left-back Sergio Reguilon is being held up by the Spanish champions insisting that a buy-back clause should be inserted into any deal.

United are looking to add depth at left-back this summer after Luke Shaw endured another season limited by injuries, while Brandon Williams also serves as cover at right-back. Diogo Dalot appears to have no future at Old Trafford and the current options are spread too thin.

Reguilon has emerged as a target. The 23-year-old impressed on loan at Sevilla last season, during which he faced United en-route to winning the Europa League, and has been valued between €20m and €30m – between £18m and £27m – by recent reports in the Spanish press.

Yet despite his strong 2019/20, Reguilon has few prospects of game time if he stays in Madrid, with Marcelo and Ferland Mendy the premier left-backs at the Bernabeu. United have already been linked with an approach, but the latest suggests that negotiations have so far been scuppered because of Real’s stance on a buy-back clause.

The Daily Mirror notes that United are unwilling to enter into an agreement that includes such an option. It would give Real first refusal on Reguilon in the future at a fixed price.

Depending on the exact details, Real could even hold power over United, who would be vulnerable to losing Reguilon below his market value if he thrives in England. It was a similar case with Juventus and Alvaro Morata in 2016, with Real triggering a fixed buy-back clause and then profiting by selling the Spanish striker to Chelsea for more than double that price just 12 months later.

United are usually unwilling to include clauses that threaten or jeopardise their control over a player’s future, with the club’s refusal to allow a release clause into the contract thought to be one of the contributing reasons why Erling Haaland joined Borussia Dortmund.

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