Manchester United fans have become accustomed to being linked with every player under the sun during a transfer window.

United executive vice chairman Ed Woodward noted the ridiculous amount of players the Reds were linked to in the January transfer window.

He said back in February: "Despite being linked in the media to 111 players in January, our acquisition of just one of them — Bruno Fernandes â€” is an important step in that direction, demonstrating our commitment to adding experienced, world-class recruits to the exciting crop of academy graduates that are at the heart of this developing team. We will take the same planned, disciplined, approach this coming summer.

"In addition to the first team signings, somewhat under the radar, we have also made a number of exciting youth acquisitions in the past year, reflecting our commitment to bringing the best talent into our academy."

It's a transfer tactic regularly used by clubs looking to speed up transfer negotiations with an actual interested party.

A prime example was the transfer saga regarding Thiago Alcantara this summer.

The Spaniard was heavily linked with a switch to the Premier League after his intentions to leave Bayern Munich were made public.

It seemed United and Liverpool would go head-to-head to sign the midfielder but there was only ever one club in the running.

MEN Sport understood United had no intention of moving for the former Barcelona star and were convinced his representatives and Bayern are using their name to put pressure on Liverpool to make a bid.

The former Bayern president Uli Hoeness said Thiago 'probably has an agreement with Liverpool or Manchester United, or with both', yet United had just signed Donny van de Beek and were prioritising their pursuit of Jadon Sancho. Therefore, there were no surprises when Thiago ended up at Anfield.

With less than a week remaining in the transfer window, United could use the transfer tactic that is regularly used against them to their own advantage.

The club accepted the need to sign a new left-back following the defeat to Crystal Palace and have accelerated their plans to sign Alex Telles from Porto after Sergio Reguilon signed for Tottenham.

So far, United have failed to meet Porto's valuation of the defender given he has less than one year on his contract and can sign a pre-contract agreement in January.

To force Porto to accept a lower price for the 27-year-old, perhaps United should state their interest in signing Marcos Alonso from Chelsea.

Alonso faces an uncertain future at the club after his relationship with manager Frank Lampard reached a new low following the weekend's draw against West Brom. The Spaniard was hooked at half-time and reportedly left the dressing room to watch the remainder of the game on the team bus. Various reports claim his Chelsea teammates had never seen Lampard so angry.

The Chelsea boss is now reportedly open to allowing the 29-year-old to leave the club on loan before the October 5th transfer deadline.

While Telles is obviously the better option for United, adding Alonso to their defensive shortlist may still be a wise move.

A Premier League winner with Chelsea, the Spaniard has been a key player for the London side for a number of years prior to this summer's arrival of Ben Chilwell from Leicester. An attacking full-back is exactly what United have been missing and Alonso fits the bill.

Of course, Alonso should only be considered a back up option in the unlikely event a deal for Telles isn't completed. But United exploring other options could force Porto's hand in negotiations.

The Portuguese side face the real prospect of losing Telles for nothing and time is running out for them to sign a replacement in the current window if he does depart.

United hold all the aces in negotiations and Alonso's situation at Chelsea could add another card to their deck.