What’s the Story?
Manchester United are leading the race to sign Lazio defender Stefan de Vrij according to latest reports from Football Italia. The Netherlands international is widely expected to leave the Serie A side in summer with his current deal set to expire 12 months later.
Reports in Italy already claim that a verbal agreement with Manchester United has been made and the Red Devils are confident of beating off competition from both Chelsea and AC Milan for the highly rated 25-year-old centre-back.
In case you didn’t know...
De Vrij is one of the best young centre-backs in Serie A, having put in consistent performances time and again for Lazio. The Lazio defender has already been capped 30 times for the senior national team and his composure on the ball has received plenty of plaudits.
The Dutchman has already made 16 appearances in Serie A this season and is an integral member of the Lazio squad which is in 4th position and challenging for a Champions League spot.
The heart of the matter
While Manchester United have plenty of defensive options in Eric Bailly, Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo, Mourinho is still said to be on the lookout for a top quality centre-back, De Vrij’s positional awareness, tackling and decision-making skills are said to have greatly impressed the Manchester United boss and the Portuguese manager is ready to commission a £30 million bid for the Lazio man.
Also, De Vrij himself dreams of playing in the Premier League and this move could well come to fruition in the summer transfer window.
What’s next?
Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United have been on an incredible run in the Premier League and will be hopeful of finishing in the top 4 and qualifying for the Champions League. With European football on the horizon next season, squad depth will be extremely important and the addition of a top quality international like De Vrij will definitely benefit the Red Devils.
De Vrij, on the other hand, will be looking to continue his good performances for Lazio in the Serie A. The Netherlands international's future has been subject to intense speculation and De Vrij will do well to ignore the attention and continue performing solidly at the back.
Sportskeeda’s take
The most successful teams across Europe all have incredible squad depth and with Manchester United looking to get back into contention for the Champions League and Premier League titles next season, the signing of De Vrij for £30 million makes perfect sense for the Red Devils.
