The agents of Zenit St Petersburg star Nuraly Alip have vehemently refuted suggestions that Manchester United have been in contact for the player.
This is according to Sport Express (via SportWitness), who received an official comment from Alip’s representatives.
SportWitness notes that Alip had recently been linked to United.
It was previously relayed that the Red Devils, who are on the hunt for defensive reinforcements, were considering a move for the centre-back.
Apparently, United sent scouts to watch Alip in action for both St Petersburg and his country, Kazakhstan against Slovenia.
It’s understood that the scouting party sent by Erik ten Hag’s side were impressed by what they saw from Alip.
However, Player Career Management – the agency that manages Alip and handles his affairs have refuted any rumours of United having already made an approach for their client.
An individual speaking on behalf of the organization said, “Nobody contacted the agency.”
“The rest is on the conscience of the authors.”
“The player belongs to Zenit and is currently focused on helping the club win the championship.”
Alip’s current contract with St Petersburg runs until 2025.
His club values him at around the €2m mark – certainly, a modest figure United would have no trouble at all paying if they are indeed admirers of the defender and are intent on pressing forward with plans to add him to their ranks.
This season, the 23-year-old has made 13 appearances in the league for St Petersburg who currently sit in second place, just two points below Krasnodar.
United have been linked to multiple defensive targets such as Jean-Clair Todibo, Antonio Silva, Goncalo Inacio, Edmond Tapsoba and Marc Guehi, just to mention a few.
The club is highly likely to move for any one of these players before swooping in for the relatively unknown Alip.