Lazio defender Stefan de Vrij will emerge as a transfer target for Manchester United if their bid to sign Sergio Ramos is unsuccessful, according to reports in Holland.
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United manager Louis van Gaal is keen to bolster his centre-back options ahead of the new season and has been heavily linked with a surprise move for the Real Madrid vice-captain, according to De Telegraaf.
Sky Sports reported on Monday evening that a £28.6 million bid had been launched for the Los Blancos star, who is understood to be keen on joining the Red Devils this summer.
However, in a fresh turn to what is fast developing into a transfer saga, Ramos’s mother claimed that her son wants to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu [via Eurosport] and that is likely to result in van Gaal seeking an alternative solution.
It would appear that a move for de Vrij, who starred at last summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil, is the Dutchman’s first choice, but he may have to do a fair bit of convincing to persuade Lazio to part company with a player who still has three years left on his contract.
The 23-year-old is the latest defender to be linked with a move to Old Trafford in the last couple of months as the likes of Nicolas Otamendi [via Independent Sport] and Mats Hummels [via Star Sport] had been tipped to join the Red Devils this summer, although neither look to be making the switch and the German has already rejected United’s interest [via Guardian Sport].
Meanwhile United have moved to tie down one of their current defenders to a long-term deal as Phil Jones put pen-to-paper on a new contract earlier in the week [BBC Sport].
With the start of pre-season fast approaching, the search for a new centre-back could go run for a little while longer.