Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho set to make Spanish defender his first signing in the summer

- Coach Jose Mourinho has penciled down Alvaro Odriozola as one of his possible signings this summer

- The Portuguese tactician has already sent scouts to go and monitor the Spanish youngster

- Both Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia are gradually winding down their career at the club

Premier League side Manchester United are reportedly plotting to sign Real Sociedad defender Alvaro Odriozola in a swap deal this summer.

Though Red Devils’ did not mention the player that is likely to go the other way, they are just planning ahead for a life after their ageing full backs of Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young, who are 32 years old each.

As coach Jose Mourinho is looking out to strengthen the back line ahead of the coming season.

But the Old Trafford outfit will have to cough out at least £18 million to stand a chance of signing the 22-year-old at the end of the season.

So far this season, United have been fielding make shift full backs in defensive positions, and both players, who are gradually getting closer to the final years of their career lack defensive ability required to challenge rampant rivals Manchester City.

However, Mourinho’s interest in the player has continued to grow as he sent some of his scouts to monitor the youngster in Real Sociedad's 2-1 loss away to Red Bull Salzburg in the Europa League last Thursday.

The result saw the Spanish team crash out of Uefa second tier competition in the last-32 stage, but Odriozola had earlier appeared to have given Sociedad the advantage, having scored one of their two goals in their 2-2 draw at home in the reverse fixture.

Odriozola has positioned himself as a top talent in the Primera Division with great pace and skill going forward, but he is still somewhat raw on the defensive end.

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Despite that, Odriozola has been capped twice by Spain, after making his debut in the World Cup qualifier against Albania - a 3-0 win, where he provided one assist for Thiago Alcantara's goal.

The 22-year-old defender has featured for his country's national team in a couple of game - playing in their 5-0 friendly victory over Costa Rica in November.

His rise to prominence has been nothing short of remarkable, having only made his senior debut for Real Sociedad in January 2017.

Since then, Odriozola has gone on to play 33 times in La Liga, cementing himself as a key cog in the Sociedad starting XI.

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