Manchester United have been warned by Lecce president Sticchi Damiani that the Italian club will try to keep hold of left-back Patrick Dorgu this month.
After conceding defeat in their efforts to sign the likes of Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies and Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez, Man United have apparently earmarked Dorgu as their number one left-back target.
The Red Devils are already believed to have failed with one official offer for the Denmark international, but it was reported earlier on Sunday that they had made significant progress in talks.
The two clubs are now only believed to be around £4m apart in their valuation of Dorgu, whom Lecce want £29.5m for in guaranteed money without performance-related add-ons.
Despite the Manchester-sized distraction, Dorgu remains an integral player for Lecce and started Sunday's Serie A clash with Inter Milan, completing the full 90 minutes as his side suffered a 4-0 defeat
Lecce 'logical' over Dorgu move to Man Utd
© Imago
Speaking before the game, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano, Lecce president Damiani insisted that Lecce do not want to lose Dorgu this month, but they are 'logical' about the prospects of a future transfer.
"Man United? We are trying to keep the player, it's our plan. Then at some point you've got to be logical; but we want to keep our best players in Jan," Damiani said.
The Lecce chief's comments do open the door to Man United striking a deal this month and loaning Dorgu back to the Italian side for the remainder of the season, before he is integrated into Ruben Amorim's squad this summer.
The left-back cost Lecce a mere £168k from Danish outfit Nordsjaelland, and he has now contributed five goals and two assists in 57 matches for the Serie A outfit in all competitions.
Dorgu - who is comfortable on either flank both offensively and defensively - also scored on his Denmark debut against Switzerland in September, and his Lecce contract runs until 2029, having penned an extension back in October.
Do Man United have any alternative left-back targets?
© Imago
The indications are that Man United will strike a deal for Dorgu in the near future, but if Lecce do insist on keeping him for the remainder of the season, Ruben Amorim could change tack.
The Red Devils are in desperate need of immediate reinforcements on the left-hand side due to Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia's frequent fitness problems, and Diogo Dalot is not a natural fit on that flank.
A cheaper and more readily available alternative to Dorgu could arrive in the shape of Alvaro Carreras, the 21-year-old Benfica left-back who was sold to the Portuguese giants by Man United for £5m last year.
The Red Devils apparently negotiated a £15m buyback option as part of the deal, though, and they are now said to be considering whether to trigger the clause thanks to Carreras's success in Portugal this season.
The Spain Under-21 international has scored three goals and set up four more in 31 games across all competitions this season, including an assist for Vangelis Pavlidis's opener in Benfica's enthralling 5-4 Champions League loss to Barcelona in midweek.
Ben Knapton
