Alvaro Carreras ‘makes decision’ on Manchester United return as Real Madrid circle

Alvaro Carreras has reportedly made a decision on his preferred transfer destination as Manchester United are credited with being interested in the academy star they sold.

Last season, Manchester United offloaded over £100 million worth of players as Erik ten Hag reshaped his squad.

Mason Greenwood, Scott McTominay, Jadon Sancho, and Willy Kambwala were among the significant departures, with the new INEOS leadership team keen to generate funds for reinvestment.

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One quieter exit was that of Álvaro Fernández Carreras, who completed a permanent switch to Benfica.

Carreras, who arrived at United around the same time as Alejandro Garnacho, struggled to replicate the Argentine’s impact. In January 2024, he was loaned to Benfica, and despite an underwhelming start, most expected him to return to Carrington.

However, in a surprising development, Benfica activated their £5 million purchase option, keeping Carreras permanently.

Carreras’ ‘preference’ revealed

Since then, the Spanish left-back has established himself in the team, featuring in nine games, seven as a starter, and Real Madrid, Barcelona, United, and Liverpool have all been eyeing a potential transfer in the future.

On Monday, news broke that while the player had a buy-out clause of just over £41 million, United had inserted a buy-back clause of around £17 million that will be valid until 2026.

However, a fresh report from the Portuguese outlet Record, which broke the news surrounding United’s buy-back clause, has now claimed that Carreras would rather transfer elsewhere.

According to the report, the 21-year-old would prefer a transfer to Real Madrid over a return to United – something that his current club would prefer as they would be able to achieve a better price from Los Blancos than from United.

Be wary of such reports

However, it must be considered that Benfica may be lining up suitors for their player through these reports. Although Carreras has started seven games this season, he found it hard to break into the team when he first went on loan to Benfica in January.

To earn a transfer to any of the aforementioned clubs, the youngster must do his talking on the pitch and prove he is the real deal.

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