Manchester United Transfer News: Nicolas Otamendi Bid Looms, Gareth Bale Latest

Manchester United "will make another offer" for Valencia centre-back Nicolas Otamendi, according to Sky Sports' Guillem Balague.

However, Balague believes the club will need to drop a hefty amount of cash to secure the Argentinian defender. He also suggests Real Madrid won't allow Gareth Bale to leave this summer and United goalkeeper David De Gea will wait to see how Iker Casillas' future unfolds before deciding on a move to the Bernabeu. Balague's answer to a Sky Sports Q&A session can be found below:

"

Manchester United will make another offer for Otamendi, but unless it’s €50 million (£36.8m) Valencia doesn’t want to sell.

Gareth Bale is definitely staying at Real Madrid, while De Gea is the more mysterious one. He wants to see what Casillas is doing—Real Madrid is trying to push Casillas out and Manchester United is putting a massive offer on the table, so no decision made there yet.

"

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

United boss Louis van Gaal is in desperate need of defensive reinforcements. United's excellent run—which saw them beat Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool and Manchester City—has been well and truly ended by three straight defeats to Chelsea, Everton and West Bromwich Albion.

With players such as Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Jonny Evans missing throughout, Chris Smalling and Paddy McNair have failed to assert themselves as a profitable partnership at the back. Otamendi has enjoyed an excellent season with Valencia and should be considered a prime candidate to improve United's chances of success.

The 27-year-old possesses an infectious combativeness and is the type of warrior United fans love. He averages three tackles, three interceptions and 6.8 interceptions per match, as recorded by WhoScored.com, while he's also dominant in the air. Otamendi carries a significant goal threat, notching four in 32 La Liga appearances this campaign.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

An approximate £36.8 million bid is costly, but United might not have any other choice. Although stories continue to link Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels to the club, as reported by Jamie Jackson of the Guardian, Van Gaal needs at least two top-class centre-backs to solidify United's defence again. 

Balague's comments about Bale won't surprise many. Despite a poor season, the £85-million signing remains key to Madrid's fast-paced attacking style.

Jose Felix Diaz of Marca also believes Los Blancos president Florentino Perez "has no doubts whatsoever about the future of Gareth Bale." Diaz continued: "Real Madrid's Welsh star is untouchable. He is not going anywhere. The door is firmly closed."

Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

The Sun (h/t Yahoo) suggests United have offered De Gea £200,000 per week to remain at Old Trafford, perhaps the "massive offer" Balague alluded to. Neil Henderson of the BBC tweeted The Sun's headline which suggests De Gea will stay:

Sky Sports' Graham Hunter recently told Revista de La Liga that Madrid face a difficult task when deciding to sign De Gea:

"

My opinion is that Real Madrid want to sign David de Gea but, equally, don't particularly fancy the furore of the Spain No.1 and No.2 either sharing the Liga, Copa Del Rey and Champions League games like Diego Lopez and (Iker) Casillas did last season.

They also don't want the constant speculation over whether De Gea and Casillas, if at the same club, work well together, fall out and so on.

"

B/R UK's Matteo Bonetti discussed how Van Gaal can turn his team into title-challengers:

Major investment is needed across the summer, there's no doubt about it. United are leaking goals and haven't scored in three matches, providing real worry they will miss out on Champions League football. The harsh reality is that if the Red Devils don't reach Europe's elite competition for a second successive year, De Gea may be tempted to move on.

Potential signings such as Otamendi and Bale could also struggle to gain enthusiasm for such a transfer if United fail to capitalise on their four-point gap over fifth-placed Liverpool. It's sink or swim time for Van Gaal, whose first season in charge will be defined over the next three matches.