United will have to pay through the nose if they want to sign Nicolas Otamendi.
Manchester United are interested in the January signing of centre back Nicolas Otamendi from Valencia, report the Mirror, but will have to pay the player’s full £40 million buyout clause if they are to prise him away from the La Liga side, who have neither any reason nor any desire to sell one of their star assets.
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The case of Otamendi is one that highlights just how badly wrong United got their summer recruitment, particularly in defensive areas, with the impressive Argentina only having joined Valencia from FC Porto this summer for a relative bargain fee of £9.75m.
His stock has risen after a fine contribution to Los Ches’ impressive start to the La Liga season, however, with Valencia having conceded just two goals in their opening five La Liga matches, with a title challenge looking like an outside possibility after the Mestalla side thrashed newly promoted Cordoba on Thursday evening.
Having been taken over by Peter Lim, the United supporting billionaire who recently invested in Salford City, this summer, a club who have been dogged by financial issues over the last few years no longer have any reason to sell and are unlikely to entertain any offers for Otamendi that do not meet his huge buyout clause, with United likely to have to pay through the nose if they want to rectify the summer mistake of missing out on the player.