Manchester United on alert as Matteo Darmian's agent 'receives Valencia approach'

Valencia are said to be interested in the signing of Manchester United full-back Matteo Darmian.

Onda Cero claims that the La Liga side have already approached Darmian's agent to sound out his client's availability ahead of the upcoming January transfer window.

Yet, the Spanish radio station believes that Marcelino Garcia Toral's side may need to wait until the summer to secure his services with Jose Morinho unlikely to let his full-back go during mid-season.

Darmian was recruited by former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal during the summer of 2015 after garnering a big reputation at Torino.

The Italy international made 39 appearances during his debut campaign under the Dutch boss but he has seen his opportunities restricted since Mourinho's arrival to Old Trafford.

Last season the 27-year-old full-back played a big role in helping United to win the Europa League crown but he only made 18 Premier League appearances during the whole campaign.

Darmian has failed to turn around the situation in the opening part of the new season, having only started two Premier League games at left-back as Antonio Valencia remains unmovable on the other flank.

Onda Cero claims that Valencia want to take advantage of the situation to lure him to Mestalla with Marcelino having identified the signing of a new right-back as a top priority.

Valencia currently have former Barcelona full-back Martin Montoya to cover the role but the Spanish boss wants someone else to provide competition after in the summer Joao Cancelo left the club to join Inter Milan on loan.

Onda Cero adds that the La Liga side have also been offered the possibility of signing 33-year-old Stephan Lichtsteiner from Juventus. However, Marcelino would rather to bring a younger alternative like Darmian.

The Spanish radio station says that La Liga side have thus already begun talks with the player's agent ahead of the January window but they suggest that a move in the summer seems more likely due to Mourinho's reluctance to let him go during the midway point of the campaign.

The United full-back has also been linked with a return to the Serie A in recent times.

However, if Darmian decides to leave Old Trafford, he could be tempted to prove himself in Spain instead following Valencia's impressive start to the season, with Los Che second in the table after 11 games, only four points behind Barcelona and four ahead of Real Madrid.