After seemingly losing out on Brazilian centre back Gabriel Paulista – who is set to join Arsenal after successfully acquiring a work permit – van Gaal has sets his sights on a fellow La Liga youngster: Aymeric Laporte. With a buy-out clause of £31 million, the 20 year-old Frenchman fits perfectly into the upmarket category van Gaal has grown accustomed to exploiting. The falling cost of the euro means that rather than costing in the £37m range, Laporte would cost £31m; the ideal time to make a big money investment.
The deal would be just £1 million shy of the figure Manchester City coughed up for Eliaquim Mangala this summer to break the Premier League record for a defender but, as one of the brightest young prospects of European football, van Gaal looks unmoved by the price tag as he anxiously tries to bolster his neglected defence.
Conceding only 21 goals in the league so far, United’s defence ranks third strongest behind Mourinho’s Chelsea (19) and Koeman’s watertight Southampton (16), but the agitated back line have failed to look comfortable throughout the first half of the season with the figure more a testament to David De Gea – who has been in scintillating form so far – than the strength of Jones and Evans.
Guillem Balague, a Spanish football journalist, has suggested that the Basque club are unlikely to agree to a figure inferior to that of the buy-out clause but have conceded that Laporte would be more than happy to depart should the amount be met. United have dealt with Bilbao in the past, with Ander Herrera. Bilbao don’t negotiate, they only accept release clauses and should United pay it, they should sign French defender Laporte.
According to the Daily Mail, Laporte is also wanted by Real Madrid. So, if United would want to sign the 20-year old defender, they will have to tread carefully. But it also speaks volumes of Laporte’s quality that he is being tracked by the current Champions League holders, to replace the ageing Pepe.
After the departures of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, Old Trafford has been crying out for an experienced centre half to ooze composure and control the back line and so the timing of the signature is perhaps a little questionable. However, with the defence in its current state, the precocious individual should nestle quite comfortably into the starting 11 and provide solidity to van Gaal’s back line.
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