Manchester United scouts present at Champions League fixture amidst potential clearout

According to reports, Manchester United had a scout in attendance watching Wednesday night’s Champions League tie between Porto and Arsenal.

The report which comes from Portuguese newspaper Record, notes that United were one of several Premier League sides who sent scouts to watch the Porto vs Arsenal match.

Alongside United, fellow top ten sides Aston Villa and West Ham are both believed to have also sent scouts to watch the Champions League contest.

Though it is unclear who, if anyone, United’s scout was assigned to keep tabs on, the standout performer for Porto against Arsenal was talented midfielder Alan Varela.

With reports linking three of United’s midfielders Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, and Scott McTominay, with moves away from Old Trafford this summer, it is possible United’s scout was interested in the performance of Varela.

Varela, who has a £60 million release clause in his contract, was one of two players who received huge amounts of praise after Porto’s 1-0 victory against Arsenal, with the other being the goal-scorer Galeno.

According to reports from fellow Portuguese outfit O Jogo, the forward, whose release clause is £51 million, has already caught the attention of several Premier League clubs.

“Yesterday’s goal, with its artistic flair, put the team ahead in the play-offs and propelled the Portuguese-Brazilian to a level of excellence in the English market, where he already had prestige,” they wrote.

Whilst it is unclear if Manchester United were scouting either Varela or Galeno, Erik ten Hag’s side had previously been linked with Porto’s Diogo Costa and Mehdi Taremi.

However, the former is unlikely to be a current target of United’s after the Red Devils spent big on Andre Onana last summer. Meanwhile, Taremi, who was out of the game against Arsenal, is believed to be Inter Milan-bound.