With Mats Hummels apparently no longer interested in moving to England, Manchester United have revived their interest in Valencia centre-back Nicolas Otamendi.
The 27-year-old, valued at around £36million, has even agreed a preliminary contract according to a report in Argentinian newspaper Ole.
They claim that with a deal in place already, the defender will move to Old Trafford after Argentina finish in the Copa America.
However, a report in the Daily Mail claims that Otamendi's future depends on whether Valencia reach the Champions League next season.
Heading into the final weekend of the season, Valencia need to win to reach he competition. With the club under financial pressure, failure to do so will mean they have to get rid of one of their big-name players.
Otamendi has statistically been a lot better than the men he would be replacing, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans and Marcos Rojo.
As the table shows below, Otamendi averages more tackles, wins more headers and completes more blocks than the current crop of Manchester United centre-backs.
He is also only slightly behind Jones in the amount of interceptions and clearances he has made, despite playing 1,300 minutes more.
Stats via Squawka
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