Man Utd's centre-back transfer options - ranked

Manchester United are almost certain to sign a centre-back this summer, it seems.

There are plenty of glaring chinks in the Red Devils' armour, but the need for a reliable — in terms of quality fitness — defender has been made evident this year.

Raphael Varane is still a brilliant box-defender, but United are reluctant to extend his contract on such high wages and he is the subject of transfer interest from Saudi Arabia. Lisandro Martinez, for all his ability, is at risk of being added to the club's injury-prone cohort. An able and ready option is a must for this new ownership group, who should look for the right target in both the short and long-term.

United have been linked with various defenders in recent weeks. Here are ten names touted with a move, ranked by how suitable they'd be for this new project.

Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Estimated price: £40m
Pro: Premier League proven
Con: So was Ali Dia, I guess

Apologies for such a harsh comparison to open with (seriously sorry, please don't sue), but there just aren't a lot of meaningful arguments for United to pursue Max Kilman.

Is he a solid Premier League defender? Of course, but that's the extent of his ability at the moment. For the price he'd likely cost — Napoli saw a £30m knocked back last summer — United may as well look for a better centre-back.

Club: Barcelona
Estimated price: £50m
Pro: Versatile, good enough, good dresser
Con: Lack of height

In isolation, there's nothing inherently wrong with Jules Kounde — an international defender capable of filling in at full-back and has experience winning major honours.

Do you really want to pair him with another short defender like Martinez when the rest of the Premier League is going the other way with gigantic