Former Manchester United defender “draws” interest from several European heavyweights

Former Manchester United defender Alvaro Fernandez Carreras has been drawing interest from some of Europe’s biggest teams with Liverpool being the latest heavyweight to be credited with an interest in the Carrington product, Soccernet.football reports.

Manchester United sold Fernandez, known as Carreras during his time in England, to Benfica for just £5m this past summer after a successful loan spell. The 21-year-old has since impressed this season.

O Jogo first reported that Real Madrid and Barcelona have shown interest in Carreras, with Atletico Madrid and Juventus also monitoring the left-back’s progress.

However, AS later revealed that Liverpool are actually leading the race to sign Carreras. The Reds are reportedly looking to make the Spain Under-21 international the long-term successor to Andy Robertson.

Importantly, United are said to have included a buy-back clause in the deal with Benfica, which was a key part of their decision to sell him for a reduced fee.

There is speculation that United are now considering activating this clause to bring Carreras back to Old Trafford, due to concerns over the fitness of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.

While the exact value of the buy-back clause is not clear, it is expected to be significantly lower than what Benfica might normally demand for a player of Carreras potential, who is under contract until 2029.

The 21-year-old left-back has started six of his nine appearances for Benfica this season. While he is yet to register any goal contributions so far, the Spaniard has put on several impressive displays for the Portuguese giants.