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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.
Show all 10 1 /10Manchester United: Potential transfer targets summer 2015 Manchester United: Potential transfer targets summer 2015 Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton, 24) With Rafael never getting close to favour under Louis van Gaal, right-back has been a problem area all season for United, with Antonio Valencia filling in at the position. Whilst Valencia has done well, Clyne is now England’s first choice and easily in the top three in his position in the Premier League. Southampton will not want to sell another one of their stars, but the player seemingly wants to move.
Manchester United: Potential transfer targets summer 2015 Radamel Falcao (Monaco, 29) Who knows what will happen with the Colombian. Certainly he is not worth anywhere close to the mega move United were considering when they agreed to loan him last summer, having only scored four goals all season. But with his track record as one of the world’s best, United would be foolish not to consider a cut-price move, just in case he’s not broken once and for all.
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Manchester United: Potential transfer targets summer 2015 Gareth Bale (Real Madrid, 25) If a deal were to go through it would be an absolutely massive coup for the club, of course, and you know Manchester United will be exploring any possibility of a move. Despite his perceived unhappiness in Spain, Bale’s agent said he will be staying at the Bernabeu next season. Would cost a massive fee but would instantly turn the club into title contenders.
Manchester United: Potential transfer targets summer 2015 Edinson Cavani (PSG, 28) Manchester United will surely be tempted if he is available despite having bigger needs elsewhere in their squad. Despite the perception that he has struggled to fit in at PSG, Cavani still has 50 goals in 91 matches for the club and has played the majority of his time there out of position on the wing. Tall and athletic he seems like a perfect fit for the Premier League, although he will cost a huge fee.
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Manchester United: Potential transfer targets summer 2015 Hugo Lloris (Tottenham, 28) The potential transfer of the Spurs and France No 1 is entirely wrapped in the future of David De Gea - if the Spaniard moves to Real Madrid then United will be scrambling for a new goalkeeper and there aren’t many better than Lloris. He’s four years older than De Gea but still young for a keeper.
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Manchester United: Potential transfer targets summer 2015 Ilkay Gundogan (Borussia Dortmund, 24) With Michael Carrick ageing and Wayne Rooney forced to play in the middle at various points this season, central midfield will be one of Van Gaal’s top priorities. The Borussia Dortmund man, 24, is a classy operator, strong on the tackle and a box-to-box threat. He is apparently being chased by Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, among others, so United will have to move quickly.
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Manchester United: Potential transfer targets summer 2015 Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund, 26) The World Cup winner should be United’s top target this summer, they have no bigger hole to fill than in the centre of their defence. Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans are all talented defenders, but none of them have the leadership skills necessary and are a level below the very best. Hummels’ arrival would immediately improve the whole backline.
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Manchester United: Potential transfer targets summer 2015 Nicolas Otamendi (Valencia, 27) Like Hummels, Otamendi is the dominant type of centre-back that United are missing. He’s a bit on the short side – 6ft – but is a forceful character and very competent on the ball. Louis van Gaal should be considering a move for both, although that will take out a significant chunk of his transfer budget.
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Manchester United: Potential transfer targets summer 2015 Kevin Strootman (Roma, 25) It seems as if Louis van Gaal has been linked with the Roma midfielder for the entirety of his reign, who suffered another knee injury back in January and has only played seven times in all competitions this season, his only games since the original injury last April. If he can get back to full fitness then the Dutchman is a dominant midfielder with an eye for goal. But it’s a big ‘if’.
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Manchester United: Potential transfer targets summer 2015 Felipe Anderson (Lazio, 22) The Brazilian attacking midfielder has been linked with a £30m move to Old Trafford despite stating he wanted to stay in Rome. The 22-year-old scored 10 goals and added seven assists for Lazio last season and is seen as a potential star of the future.
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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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