Why Manchester United should consider late bid for Jorge Salinas

It has been a fairly quiet transfer window for Manchester United, who have replaced the outgoing Casemiro and the injured Manuel Ugarte with the arrivals of Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos from Aston Villa and Chelsea, splurging nearly €100 million on the two midfielders. Apart from that, however, United have only added backup goalkeeper Karl Darlow from Newcastle United on a free transfer, and there’s reason to believe Michael Carrick’s side will heat up their summer transfer activity in the final three weeks of the window.

One position that will likely be targeted is left back. With Patrick Dorgu impressing in a more advanced role, and with Tyrell Malacia departing, Manchester United will have to rely on Luke Shaw’s patchy fitness record this season unless they sign someone. RB Leipzig’s David Raum has been mentioned as a potential wild card, but with Yan Diomande already moving for a lucrative deal, it would take a sizable investment to convince Leipzig to part with the 28-year-old. Myles Lewis-Skelly has also been linked as a potential option for both United and Chelsea, but it seems that he will attempt to stay put and fight for his place at Arsenal. Lewis Hall is seemingly the priority target, but after already losing Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali, and Anthony Gordon, it’s hard to fathom Newcastle selling another key asset so late in the summer.

It’s why United’s best bet could very well end up being Jorge Salinas. Born and raised in Santander, Spain, Salinas joined Racing Santander’s academy in 2019 and made his senior debut for the reserves in August 2024 before making his first-team debut three months later in the Copa del Rey. After just three appearances in 2024/25, Salinas quickly established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet for the Montañeses. While he missed a month with a broken jaw, Salinas nevertheless registered 7 assists in 34 appearances as Santander won the Segunda División title, having lost in the playoffs the previous season.

The cherry on the top came at the international level: two years after being cut from the final Spain squad in the 2024 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, Salinas was called up for the UEFA European Under-19 Championship. After missing the opening match vs. hosts Wales, Salinas played the full 90 vs. Denmark at center back before switching over to left back for the rest of the tournament. He then bagged two assists vs. Germany before scoring vs. Croatia, and he was at the top of his game as Spain prevailed 2-0 in the final vs. Germany, earning praise from the likes of Todd Eason. Salinas proved essential as Spain secured their 13th title, scoring 19 goals and conceding 0 in the process.

All signs point to Salinas competing in Racing’s first LaLiga match in 14 years as they prepare to host Villarreal on Sunday, but it is unclear if he’ll be sticking around for the entire season. Aston Villa, Newcastle, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, and United are just a few of the clubs that have cast their attention on Salinas, whose release clause jumped from €8 million to €16 million this summer. At 19 years of age, Salinas has emerged as one of the most exciting young defenders in Spain, and while he’s currently living the dream for his hometown club, his attention could be swayed by a lucrative salary as well as the opportunity to play in the UEFA Champions League.

Comfortable across multiple positions in defense, Salinas has the technical profile and tactical acuity to make the right choices under pressure and work the ball further forward, and his physical prowess and sharp tackling skills should help him transition to life in the Premier League. Assuming that United want to strengthen their squad in multiple positions in the window’s final weeks, they shouldn’t overpay for Hall or Lewis-Skelly: instead, they should snap up Salinas for a bargain buy and keep plenty of their budget available for use.