Manchester United look set to face competition from Atletico Madrid in their bid to sign Valencia defender Nicolas Otamendi, according to the Daily Star.
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Manchester United transfer rumours
The Red Devils have been strongly linked with the Argentine international in recent times, with the Star reporting that rumours emerged earlier this week of personal terms being agreed for the transfer to go through this summer.
However, Atletico Madrid are also keen on bolstering their defensive options ahead of next season, with Diego Simeone seemingly identifying the in-form Otamendi as a good contender to come in at the Vicente Calderon.
Atletico will have to pay £36.9m to Valencia for the 27-year-old, which is the player’s release clause at the Mestalla.
It remains to be seen which club the player himself would favour, but United could find this news a major blow in pursuit of one of their main summer targets, with defence unsurprisingly a priority for Louis van Gaal after some shakey displays at the back throughout this season.
Mats Hummels of Borussia Dortmund is another name being considered, according to reports elsewhere today from the Daily Mail.