According to reports from Here Is The City this morning, Manchester United will have to pay £36.8million to sign rumoured centre-back target Nicolas Otamendi this summer.
They quote Sky Sports’ La Liga correspondent Guillem Balague, who is famed for his insider knowledge of the Spanish market. Last year, he announced Chelsea’s deals for Diego Costa and Filipe Luis before the end of the January transfer window – six months prior to their Stamford Bridge arrivals.
Earlier this season, Balague claimed United have already made an offer of £27million for the Valencia defender, but now he insists they’ll have to activate a £36.8million release clause to sign him this summer – which converts into €50million.
“United have already offered £27m and Valencia think they’ll improve on that offer, so the club are preparing for it,” Balague claimed in his Sky Sports column last month.
And responding to a question in regards to Otamendi’s availability earlier this week, he said; “Manchester United will make another offer for Otamendi, but unless it’s €50m (£36.8m) Valencia doesn’t want to sell,” as documented by Sky Sports.
Manchester United reportedly view the 27 year-old as a potential alternative to Borussia Dortmund captain Mats Hummels, but they’re by no means his only suitors. As The Express revealed in April, local rivals Manchester City are also considering a summer bid after disappointing campaigns from Vincent Kompany and Elaquim Mangala.