Man Utd will have to match Tomas Araujo’s “hefty” €80m (£68m) release clause if they want to prise him away from Benfica during the January transfer window, according to reports.

TEAMtalk claim that the Red Devils have been keeping close tabs on the Portuguese international, having sent a scout to watch him in action against AC Milan in the Champions League last month.

However, Araujo signed a new five-year contract at the beginning of September, and Benfica are not interested in selling him midway through the campaign unless a team is prepared to pay his buyout fee in full.

That would be a sizeable sum to pay, despite United clearly being huge admirers of the centre-back. The Milan match is not the first time that officials have been sent to keep an eye on his progress.

Man Utd have had defensive issues

Michael Carrick’s side have conceded 8 goals in their first 5 league games, and there are question marks over all five centre-backs in the first-team squad.

Harry Maguire will be 34 in March and is out of contract next summer. Lisandro Martinez has struggled for consistency and has also had issues staying fit. Matthijs de Ligt, meanwhile, hasn’t played for 10 months due to a chronic back injury.

Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven have been available, but neither has really convinced when picked by Carrick. The pair started the 3-2 defeat to Brighton in the Carabao Cup; a game in which United were 2-0 up in the first 10 minutes.

In that context, you can understand why a player like Araujo is being tracked, but securing his services won’t be easy.

Araujo has several suitors

In addition to his release clause, another complication in United’s pursuit of the 24-year-old is the level of interest from other teams.

TEAMtalk report that Chelsea have also kept close tabs on Araujo’s development along with the likes of Tottenham, Newcastle United and Brighton.

Benfica’s stance does, however, suggest that they will likely keep hold of him until the end of the season, but there are plenty of clubs in the mix for his signature.