Manchester United have made an initial bid for Porto’s Alex Telles, with the club valuing the left-back at around £12m as he can be signed without a fee on a pre-contract in January.

Telles’s current terms expire in summer so despite Porto wanting a fee in the region of £18m for the Brazilian, United believe a deal can be done close to their desired price and have lodged a first official offer before the transfer window closes on 5 October.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær wants the 27-year-old to provide competition for Luke Shaw as the manager seeks to add a greater attacking threat from full-back. As the player is keen to make the move and the Portuguese club needs the potential finance generated by the transfer, there is confidence the deal will be completed.

As the deadline for the market to close is now only seven days away United may also step up their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho. The German club want around €120m while United’s valuation is some way short of this. It is understood United are yet to lodge a formal bid for the 20-year-old England forward.