Manchester United<\/a> have now entered the race to sign a “powerful” La Liga star, who is protected by a huge release clause.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Man United booked their place in the Champions League with a third-place finish in the Premier League<\/a>, but Gary Neville<\/a> believes Michael Carrick will need to deepen his squad ahead of a return to Europe’s elite competition.<\/p>\n The pundit has suggested his former club need to strengthen in three key positions, saying: “I think United need a left-back for next season because Luke Shaw has played every game this year and he may struggle. They need a centre-back, 100%, and they need two midfield players.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThey are the four priorities right now. They\u2019re the players I would look at adding to this squad.”<\/em><\/p>\n Progress has been made in the pursuit of a central midfielder, with transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealing they are closing in on a deal for Atalanta star Ederson.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With Casemiro departing, it is clear to see why Michael Carrick<\/a>‘s side are wasting no time when it comes to bringing in a new midfielder, but they are also keen to strengthen in defence.<\/p>\n That is according to a report from Caught Offside, which states Man United have now stormed into contention to sign Atletico Madrid star Marc Pubill<\/a>, who is protected by a monster release clause of around \u20ac500m (\u00a3433m).<\/p>\n Liverpool, Chelsea, Paris-Saint Germain and Barcelona are also in the race for the Spaniard, but it could be difficult to get a deal over the line this summer, given the massive valuation.<\/p>\n The 22-year-old would be a versatile option for United, as he is capable of slotting in at centre-back and right-back, and he could be an exciting addition to Carrick’s squad, having been lauded as “powerful” by scout Ben Mattinson<\/a>.<\/p>\n An average FotMob match rating of 7.17 in La Liga was the second-highest in the Atletico Madrid squad last season, while he also averaged the most defensive contributions (9.4), having emerged as a regular starter at the beginning of December.<\/p>\n As such, Pubill could be a fantastic signing for Man United, who could certainly do with bringing in a new centre-back, after being left light on options at the heart of defence last season, with the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Matthijs De Ligt spending a lot of time on the sidelines.<\/p>\n Read next: Man Utd’s top defensive target has been revealed<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n Gary Neville tells Man Utd to strengthen in three key areas<\/strong>
\n <\/h2>\n\n Man Utd enter race to sign “powerful” defender<\/strong>
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