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Manchester United’s proposed sale of Alex Telles to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr appears to have suffered a major hiccup right on the finishing line.
Football journalist Fabrizio Romano reported that despite reaching an agreement with United, the Saudi club have yet to sign the paperwork that would finally make the left-back theirs.
As The Peoples Person has previously reported, United and Al Nassr had reached an agreement over the transfer of the Brazilian.
According to Romano, “The Saudi club decided to think again about the deal…sources believe that Al Nassr are looking at some [other] options within the Saudi market.”
Telles, who was signed by United in the summer of 2020, has found himself surplus to requirements at Old Trafford since the arrival of Erik ten Hag.
He spent the past season on loan with Sevilla, where he ended up winning the Europa League.
However, that was not enough to convince Ten Hag and he was one of several names who was penciled down for an exit.
United were seemingly able to arrange a sale for £4m – a relative pittance for a club of their stature, yet a reasonable return on a player who is now 30, and whose services cost United £13.8m to acquire back in 2020.
As Romano reports, there is no concrete indication of what potential reasons lie behind Al Nassr’s sudden cold feet.
However, the usually-reliable journalist has speculated that Al Nassr may be considering other options from within the Saudi league.
For now, it is not possible to rule out the possibility of the move going through, as there is not enough information to support the conclusion Al Nassr do not intend to honour their agreement with United.
United too have yet to comment on this development and it is unclear what recourse the club will seek.
Should the move fall through completely, Telles is not short of suitors with the likes of Turkish champions Galatasaray also interested in a move.
On their part, United will be intent on ensuring that the club gets the most value out of any deal, to help with its own budgetary constraints.
