Manchester United close in on German defender

Jerome Boateng could soon be a Red Devil.

Manchester United's transfer business this summer would be best described as minimal, but a proposed move for Jerome Boateng could change that. The Premier League side recruited Brazilian midfielder Fred as currently their sole big money signing, bringing him from Shakhtar Donetsk for a fee of £52 million. That deal was preceded by the signing of defender Diogo Dalot from FC Porto, before the club added veteran goalkeeper Lee Grant as back up to David De Gea and Sergio Romero. Apart from these three additions, Jose Mourinho's side have been notable by their relative lack of activity in the transfer market. The World Cup has undoubtedly played a role in this inactivity, as it has done with many other top sides, but nonetheless it leaves the club with less than a week left in the window to strengthen a team which finished 19 points off Premier League winners Manchester City. All summer the club have been continually linked with players from one position: centre-back. Thanks to the inconsistency of the likes of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, the injury-prone nature of Eric Bailly and Mourinho's apparent lack of faith in Victor Lindelof, the club has consistently been rumoured to be in for both Toby Alderweireld and Harry Maguire. The links to Alderweireld go back well over a year, with the Belgian's impressive displays for Tottenham making him an obvious candidate to improve United's defence, while Maguire's World Cup performances have seen his status elevated enormously. According to Christian Falk, a reporter for German publication BILD, the Premier League side are now looking into the possibility of signing Bayern Munich centre-back Jerome Boateng. The club have reportedly made contact with the Bundesliga champions to begin negotiations over a deal to bring the Germany international to Old Trafford. No details have been released regarding proposed terms, or how much Bayern would seek for the former Manchester City defender, but his age (32) and increasingly injury-prone nature suggest that the asking price would at least be less than the £65 million Leicester City may demand for Maguire. https://twitter.com/cfbayern/status/1026197592571604993