Manchester United Transfer News: Major Defenders Lined Up in Latest Rumours

It is no secret that Manchester United have been struggling in defence this season and Louis van Gaal needs to bring in reinforcements at the back as he looks to return the Old Trafford outfit to their former glories.

While the Red Devils back line has improved since some calamitous early-season mishaps, the likes of centre-backs Jonny Evans, Tyler Blackett, Phil Jones and Paddy McNair are still frustratingly inconsistent.

Equally, they are lacking in the right-back department, with Antonio Valencia often having to fill the position. They are now being heavily linked with a move for Barcelona's Dani Alves.

According to Anthony Chapman in the Express, United's new goalkeeper Victor Valdes—who used to play alongside Alves at the Camp Nou—could be key in luring the right-back to Old Trafford.

The 31-year-old Alves' contract with the Blaugrana is set to expire at the end of the season and, with an extension unlikely, he is set to be available for free come the summer.

He is still capable of performing at the highest level—he has appeared in 15 of Barca's 19 La Liga games this season, per WhoScored.com—and would be a fine asset for United, bringing with him bags of experience currently lacking in the Red Devils defence.

In the centre of the defence, there is little doubt that greater steel and organisation is needed at United, and a recent report suggested Van Gaal was looking at Valencia's Nicolas Otamendi.

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Los Che have confirmed they have received a £27 million bid—which they have rejected—for the Argentine, with Sky Sports' Guillem Balague reporting that it came from United.

However, the Red Devils look to be pursuing Otamendi in vain with agent Jorge Mendes reportedly telling the Manchester club that the 26-year-old is not for sale, per Goal.com's Ben Hayward. 

As B/R UK's Sam Tighe noted below, though, while Otamendi has been terrific this season, he has not always played at such a level and United would potentially be risking a lot to spend big on him:

Another United centre-back target, who may be close to a switch to Old Trafford, is Dynamo Kiev's Aleksandar Dragovic.

The Ukranian outfit are supposedly open to accepting bids of around £13 million for the Austrian international, per Ed Aarons in The Guardian. 

Sport Witness relayed Austrian reports that the deal has already been done, although it suggested they may be jumping the gun:

However, it certainly seems that the 23-year-old Dragovic is a genuine target for United and, unlike Mats Hummels, available in January.

United are still some way off being a title-challenging side, but the formation of a solid defence would go a long way to rectifying that.

With a top-four finish this term far from guaranteed, the January addition of a solid centre-back would be very valuable and Dragovic is currently looking the most likely option.