Red Devils will have to battle Chelsea though to win the Frenchman’s signature.
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Manchester United are interested in signing highly rated Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala when the transfer window finally reopens for business for the year once again in January, according to reports in The Times.
The in-demand France international has been the subject of much interest from a whole host of big-name clubs from across the Continent of late, and in particular Premier League rivals Chelsea, whose head coach Jose Mourinho is known to be a huge admirer of the 22-year-old.
However, it is also understood that the Premier League champions have keeping close tabs on Mangala recently, with a view to bringing the centre back to Old Trafford at the turn of the year.
And that is because new Red Devils manager David Moyes is said to already be planning for the future in the north west, with both current first-choice central defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic nearing the end of their careers at the club.
Moyes sees Mangala as being the ideal man to take over at the back at United, with the player who was raised in Belgium having been with the Portuguese champions since August 2011, when he arrived at the Dragao from Standard Liege for a fee of 6.5 million euros.