Manchester United Target William Carvalho Rules Out Leaving Sporting Lisbon this Summer

Manchester United target William Carvalho has ruled out the possibility of a move away from Sporting Lisbon this summer.

The powerful midfielder has been persistently linked with a move to Old Trafford throughout the season having been watched by scouts from the club on a number of occasions in the Portuguese capital.

Given United's desperate need to bolster their midfield ranks a bid for the 22-year-old, who has a release clause of £37m, was thought to be imminent ahead of a pivotal summer for the club. However, Carvalho has ruled out the possibility of a move in the coming months, insisting he has every intention of honouring his long term contract at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, which runs until 2018.

"My future is set. I will return to Sporting after the World Cup," Carvalho said, A Bola report. "I'm a Sporting player to 2018. Everything else is just speculation."

Carvalho, who has been named in Portugal's 23-man squad for the World Cup by manager Paulo Bento, saw his future come under scrutiny again in recent weeks amid reports that Sporting manager Leonardo Jardim was ready to leave the club for Monaco after guiding his side to second in the Primeira Liga.

The Ligue 1 club's decision to part ways with Claudio Ranieri on Tuesday suggests Jardim could soon be heading for the principality but his decision looks likely to have little bearing on Carvalho's future at the club.

Following the confirmation of Louis van Gaal's arrival, United are expected to spring into action in the coming weeks to address the problems which contributed to their worst ever finish in the Premier League era.

While Carvalho was relentlessly scouted under David Moyes' reign at Old Trafford, van Gaal's arrival could well spark a revaluation of the club's targets.