Manchester United To Sign £35m CB, He Will Fly In For Medical On Monday

In their search for an experienced and a top-class centre half this summer, Manchester United have been linked with some world class defenders, with Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos and Valencia’s Nicolas Otamendi some notable names among them.

However, talks to land any of their defensive targets have been fruitless so far, with Real unwilling to sell Ramos – who has been made club captain, while there has not really been any bids to Valencia for Otamendi.

According to reports, Otamendi’s release clause stands at £35m and the Red Devils will have to fork out a fee close to that if they want to sign the Argentine international defender.

Since the departures of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, the United centre back has been abysmal, with Phil Jones, Johnny Evans and Chris Smalling all performing below average.

Spanish source Fichajes reports that the Red Devils have focused their attention to Otamendi after seeing their efforts to sign Ramos and, more recently, Pepe thwarted.

The report goes on to say being one of the most financially-capable clubs in Europe, Louis van Gaal’s side will cough up an audacious offer to secure Otamendi’s services.

The Valencia defender was an integral memeber of the La Liga outfit’s side last term, as he helped marshal the defence as they sealed a Champions League qualification.

United opened their Premier League campaign on Saturday with a centre back pairing of Smalling and Blind – who operates normally as a left back or defensive midfielder. Although they came out victorious, van Gaal knows he has to sort out the defensive fragility as soon as possible.