Manchester United, Arsenal and other clubs have reportedly missed out on the free transfer of Lazio defender Stefan de Vrij, who is set to join Inter Milan instead.
The Netherlands international is said to have accepted a contract offer from the Nerazzurri in what looks a superb swoop for them for one of Europe’s most solid centre-backs.
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Gazzetta dello Sport report that a deal is in place, with De Vrij having rejected advances from Manchester City and Barcelona to move to the San Siro instead.
This follows the Daily Mirror recently mentioning Manchester United and Arsenal as being among the main contenders for the 26-year-old, who moved to Lazio from Feyenoord back in 2014.
Since then, De Vrij has gone from strength to strength and would have been ideal for his Premier League suitors due to their current issues at the back.
United urgently need upgrades on the likes of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, while Arsenal are set to lose Per Mertesacker to retirement while Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi have had largely disappointing seasons.