Manchester United have set eyes on Real Madridai??i??s Raphael Varane, Atleticoai??i??s Miranda and Aston Villaai??i??s Ron Vlaar in their attempt to help Van Gaal solve his defensive woes in the coming transfer window.
Despite the arrival of Luke Shaw and Rojo over the summer, it seems that there is no end to Manchester Unitedai??i??s defensive concerns after they lost Vidic, Ferdinand and Evra in the same summer. Other defenders Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones have themselves been fighting a losing battle with injuries and suspensions leaving Van Gaal with very few defensive options in his debut season at Old Trafford. Such has been the case that even Carrick was forced to fall back and play as a defender in the bid to protect the goal. The lack of a consistent defensive partnership has cost Manchester United who have conceded 14 goals in just 11 league outings. Sitting on the 7th position in the table, United are aware that they need to recruit defenders this January if Van Gaal is to save the season in time.
Miranda, Atletico Madrid (30)
The Brazilian defender has been the cornerstone for Diego Simeoneai??i??s defence at Atletico Madrid and was an integral component of the squad in their mesmerizing campaign last season. His partnership with Diego Godin at the heart of Atleticoai??i??s defence has been remarkable, making Atletico Madrid one of the strongest defensive unitsAi?? in Europe. Hence it is quite natural that United would be interested in Miranda given the fact that the defender has already proven himself in Europe.
However the question that needs to be asked is whether Miranda really is the best option for Manchester United right now. At the age of 30, Miranda is definitely not going to be a part of the long term plan at Old Trafford which means that is it highly unlikely that Ed Woodward and co are going to invest such a significant amount of money that Atletico Madrid will be forced to sell their star defender. Having already lost Diego Costa, Felipe Luis and Thibaut Courtois in one season, the chances of Atletico Madrid selling Miranda this January is very slim. Unless United meet the defenderai??i??s release clause, if thereAi?? is any. Even then, investing in a 30 year old defender who has never played in the Premier League will be a bad move for United. Even more so if the transfer fee in question could border on being unreasonable.
Verdict-Transfer unlikely to happen due to the player’s age and the club’s lack of willingness to lose another key player in the same season.
Varane, Real Madrid (21)
French youngster Raphael Varane was the talk of the town when he burst into the scene under Jose Mourinho last season. Manchester United were actually very close to signing the defender until a certain Zinedine Zidane pulled some strings and brought him to Santiago Bernabeu. According to recent reports, Real Madrid have put a price tag of A?19 million on the young defender with Chelsea also interested in the player. Mourinho has been vocal about his appreciation for young Raphael Varane and had suggested that he would like to have the player with him at Chelsea. Given the fact that it was him who gave Varane the opportunity to earn his name last season, there are chances that Chelsea might join Manchester United in their pursuit of the Frenchman.
However there is no confirmed news that Varane will be put on the market this January. Carlo Ancelotti has never been shy of heaping praise on the defender and his rotational policy enables Varane to get a decent amount of playing time. Real Madrid will also be playing in the Club World Cup which will give Ancelotti plenty of opportunity to rotate his squad. Also Varane is the only defender available should Ramos or Pepe get injured (or suspended!), hence it is quite unlikely that the Frenchman will be parted with for a sum of A?19 million. Varane himself has mentioned his satisfaction with playing for a club like Real Madrid and the chances of him swapping a Champions League winning team for a team that is trying to qualify for the tournament makes little sense. There is indeed very little chance of this transfer going through.
Verdict-Transfer unlikely to happen due to the player’s and the club’s lack of willingness to part with each other.
Ron Vlaar, Aston Villa (29)
29 year old Aston Villa captain Ron Vlaar looks set to be leaving his club soon after his agent confirmed that the defender is looking for an opportunity to make a ai???better moveai??i?? in his career.
ai???It is obvious that for Ron, now is the moment to make a nice big move in his career. Ron is very ambitious.ai???
“The situation is ideal for Ron right now. You can imagine that we are not in a hurry. I donai??i??t want to react to the rumour that he will move to either Arsenal or Man United, but Ron is very ambitious.ai???
Vlaarai??i??s contract with Aston Villa expires next summer which means that the Dutch defender is up for grabs and will come so at a good bargain. And yes his Dutch connection with United boss Van Gaal might be integral in the transfer business that is likely to go down soon.
United aiming for Vlaar makes sense as the defender is familiar with the Premier League and will not take time to acclimatize to the playing conditions. His experience and partnership with Blind will also be important for Manchester United. With the player himself keen on moving away from Aston Villa, Ron Vlaar is definitely the defender that is most likely to land up at Old Trafford in the months to come.
Verdict-Transfer likely to happen as the player’s contract with the current club is coming to an end and he is willing to move to a ‘better’ club.
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