Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool told to fork out £35m to land Carvalho in January

Sporting Lisbon insist that William Carvalho won’t be leaving the club for the Premier League in January unless his £35m release clause is met.

Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea have all been linked with a move for the 22-year-old, who can play in midfield and defence.

All four clubs were interested in Carvalho over the summer, but were put off by Sporting’s refusal to budge on their asking price.

And while the Lisbon club may be prepared to negotiate more next summer, they are keen to keep their core together for the remainder of this season.

Indeed, reports suggest that Carvalho – along with Rui Patricio, Fredy Montero and Islam Slimani – will remain at the Estadio Jose Alvalade unless Sporting’s hand is forced by someone meeting the players’ release clauses.

Such a move may be a boost to United’s chances of beating Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea to the Portuguese international, with Sporting leaving the option option for a swap deal involving Nani at season’s end.

Nani has been in electric form since returning to his homeland, however Sporting insist they do not have the financial firepower to make the deal permanent next summer.

However, that could change if United are willing to use the winger as a makeweight in a deal for Carvalho.