United face fight for Dutch defender

DeVrij2

Lazio are reportedly beating Manchester United in the race to land Feyenoord defender Stefan de Vrij.

According to Il Tempo the Serie A outfit have already agreed terms with the highly-rated 22-year-old, although they are yet to agree a fee with his club.

The report reveals that the Red Devils remain in the hunt for the Holland international but Lazio’s advanced talks with his representatives gives them the upper hand.

United’s best chance of jumping to the front of the queue will be if the Italians fail to match Feyenoord’s £7.1million valuation of de Vrij in the coming weeks.

It is thought that no deal will be completed until the end of Holland’s World Cup campaign in Brazil.
They face Costa Rica in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

The centre-half has blossomed under his national team’s head coach, Louis van Gaal, who will officially take charge at Old Trafford upon the conclusion of his team’s involvement in the competition.

Following the departure of veteran defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic at the end of the 2013-14 season, van Gaal is sure to bring in at least two replacements before the summer transfer window slams shut.

His relationship with de Vrij would ordinarily give him the edge in negotiations, had the player not already struck a deal with Lazio.