Manchester United aims to sign Semaño for £65 million in January to play as a wing-back, with Amolin possibly adjusting the formation! There are also four other candidates.

It has been reported that Ruben Amolin wants Manchester United to acquire a new left-back next year, ideally during the January transfer window. This week, Bournemouth’s Antoine Semaño has been strongly connected with a transfer to the Red Devils, as confirmed by Italian transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, who revealed that Manchester United and Manchester City have both made preliminary calls to his agent.

The 25-year-old Ghana international has a £65 million release clause that will become active during next month’s winter transfer window. Several Premier League top clubs have shown interest, and his January move is seen as a matter of timing and destination choice. In the last Premier League round, Semaño scored against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Manchester United hopes to sign Semaño and deploy him as a left wing-back, but the player prefers playing as a forward. Romano states that for the Red Devils to complete the deal, they must convince Semaño to change position or have Amolin alter the formation. Romano said: "Semaño is expected to transfer in January, and Manchester United is competing for him. They want him to play a different role, fitting into Amolin’s current system, or the coach might ultimately change the setup. Both Manchester United and Manchester City are negotiating over Semaño’s transfer."

Known as “Green Hat Guy,” “indykaila News” reports that Semaño personally agrees to join Manchester City, Manchester United, or Liverpool but will not choose Tottenham. Meanwhile, Manchester United is considering selling striker Joshua Zirkzee to raise funds and free up space to bring in Semaño. Serie A club Roma is interested in signing the 24-year-old Dutch international.

This season, Manchester United’s main options at left-back have been Diogo Dalot and Patrick Dogu. However, Dalot is naturally a right-footed right-back, and Dogu, who joined in January, has yet to impress. Another insider revealed that Dogu’s confidence was severely damaged by his first season’s performance, causing his form to decline sharply. Luke Shaw is also an option but has recently been used as a left center-back in Amolin’s three-man defense. This injury-prone Englishman is no longer suited to the demanding wing-back role.

Amolin has informed Manchester United’s management that he wants more options at full-back and has set his criteria: he prefers players who can offer additional attacking threat rather than defensive full-backs. Besides Semaño, there are four lesser-known European league players rumored to be on the candidate list.

“TEAMtalk” claims that scouts have been sent to observe Sporting CP’s Maxi Araújo. Benfica’s Samuel Dahl, Lorient’s Arsene Kouassi, and Club Brugge’s Joaquin Seys are also on their scouting list.

TEAMtalk revealed that Manchester United scouts watched Sporting CP’s 6-0 victory over Aves last weekend, where Araújo showcased his attacking skills by scoring twice. Since Amolin took charge, the Red Devils have been linked with half of Sporting’s squad, with Araújo being the latest focus.

British media describe this interest as substantial. Over the past 12 months, Manchester United’s scouting department has closely monitored the 25-year-old Uruguayan international. Araújo primarily plays as a left-back but can also operate as a winger and midfielder. United values this player, who has earned 26 caps for Uruguay, as a great fit for Amolin’s tactical system. Araújo previously played under Amolin at Sporting CP, where the coach signed him for €14 million from Toluca, making the manager keen to bring him back to Manchester.

Araújo is very active on the pitch, excelling not only in scoring and assisting but also working hard defensively and showing strong tackling. His style involves constant forward runs covering the entire left flank. However, his contract with Sporting CP runs until 2029, with a release clause of €80 million, allowing the Portuguese club to demand a hefty transfer fee. Yet, German site Transfermarkt values him at only €17 million.

Benfica’s Dahl, a 22-year-old Swedish full-back, is balanced in attack and defense. He reads the game well defensively, cooperates effectively with wingers in offense, linking attacks and supporting with reliable passing. Not skilled at dribbling, he relies on positioning and is a team-oriented player focused on maintaining structure and passing coordination. This season, Dahl has scored one goal in 14 Primeira Liga appearances. His contract also runs until 2029, with a Transfermarkt valuation of €9 million.

Lorient’s Kouassi, only 21, was born in Ivory Coast to Burkinabé parents and is a Burkina Faso international. This season marks his Ligue 1 debut, with one goal and four assists in his first 16 matches. Kouassi’s speed and ball skills allow him to cover multiple positions, and he tends to assist by dribbling past opponents.

Club Brugge’s 20-year-old Belgian left-back Seys is valued at €15 million by Transfermarkt. This season, he has scored once and assisted once in 17 league games. He can play both full-back roles and center-back, excelling in advancing possession and organizing the attack. With strong ball control and calmness under pressure, he is a modern attacking defender who likes to push forward, uses excellent first touches to create space, and delivers precise long and short passes with good vision.

None of these four players scouted by Manchester United align with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos’ recent preference for signing Premier League players, so it remains uncertain whether the club will take concrete action on these targets.