Diogo Dalot could become Jose Mourinho’s first signing of the summer.

The Porto right-back is expected to undergo a medical with Manchester United next week as Mourinho’s spending spree begins.

Defence is an area of concern for the Red Devils and it’s hardly surprising that competition is being brought in for Antonio Valencia.

The Ecuadorian is 33-years-old and needs frequent treatment on a knee injury.

Dalot, 19, can also play at left-back, another position where Man United have questions to answer.

One issue still to be resolved, however, is Dalot’s price tag.

The Portuguese defender has a £17.5 million release clause in his contract that can be activated on June 30.

What Dalot source says

However, the Manchester Evening News report that eight clubs are prepared to pay even more than that to sign Dalot.

Man United are still leading the race to sign Dalot, though, and while terms and contract length haven’t been discussed yet, this is expected to be a formality

Around £19m could be enough to capture Dalot but a source close to the player has told the MEN that Man United want to complete the deal before his clause his activated.

“Nobody wants to activate a release clause, nobody ever does," the source said.

“The release clause must be activated by the player so the club has to give the money to the player and the player has to pay taxes on that money.

"The club has to pay more to compensate the player and so on.

“Besides, the clause can only be activated on June 30 and Manchester United wants to make sure they secure the player before that because several other clubs are willing to pay €20m plus.

"Paying more in a normal transfer fee is less than what they would have to spend if the player activates the clause."

It seems that Mourinho is ready to do what it takes to get the deal over the line.

Dalot has only made six senior appearances for Porto but he played an important role in helping Portugal’s Under-17s win the 2016 European Championship.

The defender scored twice in five games, netting in the final against Spain, and he stepped up to represent the Under-19s later in the same year.

More high-profile signings are expected at Old Trafford, but Mourinho has clearly set out to improve a troubled area in his squad.