Borussia Dortmund have opened talks with Manchester United over a deal to sign right-back Diogo Dalot.

The 22-year-old, who returned from a season-long loan with AC Milan this summer, had been expected to be given a fair crack at a shot in the first team at Old Trafford this year, but his future remains up in the air.

According to Sky Sports News, a move to Dortmund could potentially be on the cards. The German side have opened talks with United and are pushing to get a loan move over the line before the transfer window closes.

There is also interest in Dalot from both AC Milan and Bayern Munich, but Dortmund have made the first move and are currently in negotiations over a move which could include an option to buy the Portugal international permanently next summer.

United would only be interested in offloading Dalot if they could find a replacement. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had been chasing Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier earlier in the summer, when it looked like Dalot could be on his way out, but those in charge at United baulked at his asking price of over £30m.

United were only prepared to pay half that and halted negations, but they may well reignite their interest in Trippier if Dalot finds himself on the way out.

Dortmund have lost young right-back Mateu Morey to a nasty knee injury which may well have ended his season already, so they are looking to bring in someone to compete for minutes with Thomas Meunier, who himself has been out with COVID-19 recently.

Dalot has been identified as their ideal alternative, but that interest is also shared by Bayern, who are open to offloading Bouna Sarr and bringing the United man in as competition for Benjamin Pavard out wide.

Links to the two German sides appear to make more sense than those to Milan, who now have three senior right-backs on the books following Alessandro Florenzi’s loan switch to San Siro.