Manchester United to retain interest in De Vrij

Manchester United will reportedly renew their long-term pursuit of Lazio’s Stefan De Vrij when the transfer window reopens in less than two months’ time.

Italian publication Calciomercato cites that the Red Devils could launch a summer approach for the Dutch footballer with Jose Mourinho still on the search for the perfect companion to Eric Bailly.

Both Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have received a lot of criticism this term after having refused to play through pain in key games for the club. As a result, the Special One has stressed the need to recruit a new central defender with De Vrij among the top names on the summer shortlist.

De Vrij joined Lazio from Dutch side Feyenoord in the summer of 2014 after having stood out with his performances for the Netherlands, who reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in the same year.

The Holland international had therein attracted interest from United under then-boss Louis van Gaal but a deal could not materialise as the centre-back suffered a nasty knee injury.

The 25-year-old has since gone through a long recovery path and has managed to reestablish himself as a first-team regular – though he has broken down with minor injury concerns in the current season.

De Vrij has appeared in a total of 30 outings for the Capital-based club, and he is now eager to pursue a fresh challenge after having snubbed a proposed extension beyond 2019.

A separate report from La Repubblica suggests that the Red Devils could wrap up the player’s signature in the summer, should they stump up a fee of around £21m for the central defender.

Manchester United have had an up and down season in the Premier League this term, and their success lies on whether they can clinch the Europa League title against Ajax in the final next week.

The Mancunian giants are already out of contention for the Champions League via their league position, and a victory over Peter Bosz’s side is crucial to their quest of securing a berth in the premier competition.

Image – Getty