Manchester United eye £55m Porto defender

Manchester United’s right-back situation has looked far less settled than it did a year ago.

Diogo Dalot was criticised for his display in the derby defeat to Manchester City, and things got worse in the Carabao Cup against Brighton, where he was blamed in part for Pascal Gross’s equaliser.

Noussair Mazraoui started the opening-day loss at Hull, but his season has been stop-start since, and he went off injured during that Brighton collapse.

Both have their qualities, yet neither has convinced Michael Carrick that the position is properly covered.

That is why United’s recruitment staff are already looking ahead, with a more dynamic option reportedly on their wish list for next summer.

Manchester United eye £55m Porto defender

One name now being watched is Porto right-back Alberto Costa, with United and Arsenal both closely monitoring him, according to CaughtOffside.

The 22-year-old joined Porto from Juventus in July 2025 and quickly became a regular, finishing his first season in Portugal with 47 appearances and 8 assists.

That rise is all the more striking after a difficult seven months in Turin, where he made 14 appearances without a goal after joining from Vitoria de Guimaraes for around €13.8million.

Porto rebuilt his confidence under Francesco Farioli, and Costa’s game now leans heavily on his final ball, with his passing and dribbling standing out.

Paris Saint-Germain considered signing him in January and remain interested, while Manchester City are also said to be tracking him.

No formal bids have been made, with the clubs still at the scouting and analysis stage.

Any deal will be far from straightforward given how well Porto have protected themselves.

They paid Juventus €15million plus up to €1million in bonuses for Alberto Costa, and tied him down until June 2030.

His contract includes a €65million (£55 million) release clause, while Juventus kept 10% of the profit from any future sale.

At 186cm and comfortable at either right-back or wing-back, Costa would give United a very different profile to Dalot.

With Dalot’s form under scrutiny and Mazraoui’s fitness in question, next summer’s right-back decision looks increasingly likely to be a serious one.