Manchester United on alert as Valencia may 'need to sell' Carlos Soler to balance books

Manchester United's hopes of signing Valencia starlet Carlos Soler have been given a major boost with reports in Spain claiming that the La Liga side may need to put the 20-year-old midfielder up for sale to balance their books.

Marca claims that Marcelino Garcia Toral's side need to generate €45m (£40.1m, $55.5m) by the end of June 2018 to cover their losses and selling Soler could be one of their solutions.

Soler has garnered a reputation as the next big things to emerge from the prolific Spanish academy since making his first-team during a La Liga clash with Real Sociedad on 10 December.

The midfielder has since attracted the attention of other big clubs like Manchester United after establishing himself as a regular starter for both Valencia and the Spanish Under 21 national team.

The versatile midfielder has started in all 11 of Valencia's opening La Liga games this season, scoring one goal and providing four assists to help Los Che to sit in second place, four points behind Barcelona and four ahead of Real Madrid.

Marca says that the La Liga side are still in a complicated financial situation following a number of disappointing campaigns.

The Spanish publication suggests that qualifying for the Champions League or a new injection of capital from owner Peter Lim could help them balance their books before 30 June.

However, Marca believes that the third alternative to find the €45m needed by the end of June would be to put some players up for sale as they have done in recent transfer windows.

In recent years, Valencia have overseen the sale of a number of big stars such as Andre Gomes, Paco Alcacer and David Villa to Barcelona, Juan Mata to Chelsea or David Silva to Manchester City.

Marca suggests that Soler and Inter Milan loanee Joao Cancelo are the two main players who the club could cash in on without the need of a major overhaul of Marcelino's squad.

But finding a club ready to make a big-money investment for Soler would appear to be much easier than selling the Portuguese right-back, who is struggling to make the impact expected at the Serie A side.

The news from Marca should be a welcome boost for United with several reports since the beginning of the season claiming that Jose Mourinho would like to bring him to Old Trafford.

Last month both the Daily Mail and The Sun reported that United had already begun negotiations to secure Soler's services ahead of next season in a deal worth around £30m.

The Spanish starlet signed a new deal with a €80m release clause earlier this year but, if Marca is right, Valencia might be open to negotiating his departure for a lower fee.