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Manchester United are reportedly ahead of their Premier League rivals Arsenal in the race for Real Sociedad defender Robin le Normand.
The 27-year-old Spain international has five goals and six assists in 194 games across competitions for the La Liga side. That includes a goal in 16 outings across competitions this term. He has also played eight times for Spain, recently opening his account in the 3-1 home win over Georgia in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier.
Le Normand helped Sociedad keep 19 clean sheets in 37 league appearances last season as they finished a creditable fourth to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. The Spaniard has a release clause of €60 million, as per Fichajes (via Caught Offside).
The report says that United - who were interested in the centre-back in the summer - remains keen to snap up Le Normand. The Spaniard is also the subject of interest of Arsenal, Newcastle United and West Ham United.
The Red Devils have grappled with injuries and poor form of key defensive personnel like Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire. Meanwhile, Lisandro Martinez is currently out injured.
How Manchester United and Arsenal have fared this season
Manchester United and Arsenal have endured contrasting starts to the new season.
The Red Devils have blown hot and cold - losing nine times across competitions. Five of those defeats have come in the league, where they're sixth in the standings with 21 points from 12 games, seven behind leaders Manchester City.
They have lost thrice in their opening four games in the UEFA Champions League, where they're last in their group. They potentially need to beat Bayern Munich (home) and Galatasaray (away) to stand a chance of reaching the knockouts. Meanwhile, United's EFL Cup title defence ended meekly in the Round of 16.
In sharp contrast, Mikel Arteta's Gunners are flying high in third in the Premeir League, a point behind City. They're also atop their UEFA Champions League group, looking good to qualify for the Round of 16.
Like United, though, the Gunners are also out of the EFL Cup, losing before the quarterfinals.
