Manchester United look to have clinched their third deal of the summer, with Holland centre-back Stefan De Vrij thought to have agreed a move to Old Trafford in a deal worth £8m.
With United looking to fill the gap left by the departures of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, Porto’s Eliaquim Mangala and Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels were linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer but it looks as if Louis Van Gaal has instead opted for the Feyenoord defender.
De Vrij, who won his first Holland cap under Van Gaal in August 2012, was thought to have agreed deal to join Serie A side Lazio after traveling to Rome and being shown around the club’s facilities before the World Cup began, but the move has since fallen through, allowing Van Gaal and United to enter the race for the 22-year-old.
Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport reports that Lazio have given up on De Vrij after United lodged a bid of around £8m for the centre-back who is expected to become United’s third signing after the arrivals of Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw.
Strong in the air and composed on the ball, De Vrij is a traditional centre-back, one who’s not afraid of tackling and of imposing himself physically on his opponent and despite being only 22 he has already been capped 14 times for Holland, playing every game at the World Cup so far and scoring his side third in Holland’s 5-1 demolition of Spain.
A product of Feyenoord’s famous academy, De Vrij has made 153 appearances for the Rotterdam club since making his first team debut in the 2009-10 season and briefly captained the side during the 2012-13 season but with his contract set to expire in 12 months, Feyenoord look willing to cash out now rather than running the risk of losing the defender for free next summer.
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