Manchester United have been dealt a double defensive transfer blow as their two main targets have seemingly sorted their futures away from Old Trafford.
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Louis van Gaal’s men had been linked with a new central defender all summer, with two names leading the headlines throughout the whole summer window.
However, it now seems that both sagas could come to an end on the same day.
Real Madrid announced this morning that Sergio Ramos has agreed a new five-year contract at the Bernabeu until 2020, with a ceremony at the stadium to take place this afternoon. On top of that, Nicolas Otamendi has reportedly arrived in Manchester to finalise his move. Except he’s reportedly set to sign a five-year contract with the Blue side of Manchester at the Etihad Stadium.
United are desperate for a central defender to come into the squad. Ramos had been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford as a part of any potential deal that would have seen David De Gea go to the Bernabeu.
The Spanish goalkeeper is still at Old Trafford as the Reds held the stance of they either get Ramos or a world-record fee for a goalkeeper, despite the 24 year old being in the final year of his contract. Ramos was reportedly very keen on the move and even went public about seeking a transfer away from Real Madrid. Florentino Perez stepped in however and after negotiations with the player, the club president has finally agreed to give his new captain the pay-rise he wanted and Ramos will earn €10 million per year for the next five years.
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Otamendi is a strange one though. The Reds had been linked since January and were thought to be close to signing the Argentine for a while. Once the Ramos link came about, United reportedly put negotiations with Valencia on the back-burner to concentrate on the Ramos deal but now that deal has come to an end, they seem to have missed out on their back-up option.
Valencia were demanding the full €50 million clause for Otamendi for much of the summer, but recently their stance has weakened and they were willing to accept around €40 million for the 27 year old Argentine. Manchester City now have stepped up their interest and are reportedly close to completing the deal. Rumours suggest that Mangala was set to go the other way on loan as part of the deal but Man City have rejected that idea and it seems they’ll just pay the money up front instead.
That leaves Manchester United light in defence with no viable targets to go for. John Stones has been linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer but Chelsea are keen on signing the Everton man and have already had three bids, the latest one for £30 million, rejected by the Toffees.
As it stands, United will end the transfer window without a central defensive signing meaning their options will be Smaling, Rojo, Jones, McNair, Blackett and Daley Blind, something fans are not best pleased about at all.