Manchester United Transfer News: Nicolas Otamendi, Morgan Schneiderlin Rumours

Manchester United are hoping to pair Nicolas Otamendi with Sergio Ramos at the heart of their defence next season, according to reports.

Marco Ruiz of AS writes that the Red Devils have cited the former, who was hugely impressive in the 2014-15 season, as the man to potentially partner Ramos in their back four. Ruiz claims that Madrid remain concerned about losing the Spaniard to United and are themselves interested in Otamendi as well as Zenit Saint Petersburg’s Ezequiel Garay.

Andre Penner/Associated Press

The prospect of the two holding the fort at the base of this team is a tantalising one for the Old Trafford faithful. The slick, dynamic and aggressive style of defending adopted by Ramos would be be a tremendous foil for Otamendi’s authoritative approach to the game.

As we can see here courtesy of OptaJose, both men are prolific goalscorers too:

According to the Express (h/t Jamie Sanderson of Metro) the Red Devils are close to agreeing a “cut-price” move for Otamendi. The piece states that United will negotiate a deal less than the Argentine's reported release clause of £35 million.

Sport Witness thinks that of the two La Liga stars, the Valencia man is the best option for the Premier League giants:

With these two brilliant defenders in the club’s sights, rumours linking the Red Devils with a move for Mats Hummels have gradually abated. But the Borussia Dortmund man has admitted there was interest in him from United, although he has decided to stay at the Westfalenstadion, per Rob Dawson of the Manchester Evening News:

"

There have always been rumours about almost every one of our players, but I decided not to make the move this year.

Of course when the big clubs are interested, and Manchester United is one of the biggest clubs in the world, it’s an honour.

But I decided I wanted to stay here.

"

Wong Maye-E/Associated Press

It’s encouraging that United boss Louis van Gaal is looking to bolster this segment of his team. For long spells last season David De Gea bailed this Red Devils defence out of trouble, and whoever lines up between the sticks at Old Trafford this season will be hopeful of getting a little more protection from those men in front of him.

Otamendi and Ramos would represent amazing business from the Red Devils, but even one of those players partnered alongside Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling or Phil Jones would represent a major upgrade.

United Keen to Move Morgan Schneiderlin Deal On

Darko Vojinovic/Associated Press

According to Jamie Jackson of the Guardian, Manchester United are hoping to complete a deal for Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin before the club jet off on their pre-season tour of the United States on Monday.

Jackson claims that the Red Devils have already had one bid of £20 million rejected for the Frenchman and despite Saints valuing their star man at £27 million, the Old Trafford outfit feel as though a transfer could be completed for around £25 million.

Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

Bleacher Report’s Andy Brassell took a look at the kind of quality Schneiderlin would bring to the centre of this United team:

While some additional defensive options will be key to shoring up this Red Devils XI, it’s important that United have a player in midfield who can control games in a manner comparable to veteran midfielder Michael Carrick. Schneiderlin, who seems to be getting better and better at Southampton, is a player who ticks all the boxes in this sense.

As we can see here courtesy of WhoScored.com, the defensive side of the 25-year-old’s game is especially outstanding:

But he can ping a decisive pass and carry the ball through midfield too. They are multifaceted attributes that Van Gaal had to do without in midfield last season, and although Schneiderlin may seem a little pricey at £25 million, he has all the qualities to become a major fan favourite at Old Trafford.

It’ll be a big step up for the Frenchman. The pressure that comes with being a big money signing for United can cripple some players, so getting him in as soon as possible, involved in pre-season and acquainted with Van Gaal’s methods will be vital in determining how he fares in the early days of his Red Devils career.