Lazio have intensified their pursuit of Feyenoord defender Stefan de Vrij in the hope of beating Manchester United to his signature, according to fresh reports in the Italian media.
Il Tempo claims the Serie A outfit will step up their attempts to land the Holland international over the weekend but are by no means guaranteed to clinch a deal, as his club is unwilling to do business.
Feyenoord will only sell if they receive a big-money offer, which arguably puts United in the driving seat as they have a bigger summer transfer window budget than the Italians.
The Dutch side are believed to be holding out for a fee of around £9.5million, but Lazio are reluctant to go above £5m with add-ons.
A source close to Old Trafford told Football Express News that new manager Louis van Gaal is still in the process of assessing the ability of his current crop of defenders but is a keen admirer of his compatriot.
De Vrij played a key role in van Gaal’s Holland side during their run to the World Cup semi-finals in Brazil.
Last week Feyenoord broke their silence on the future of the centre-half by insisting suitors must make an “interesting offer”.
Technical director Martin van Geel told De Telegraaf the Dutch outfit are in no hurry to sell the 22-year-old.
Van Geel told De Telegraaf: “Stefan is a Feyenoord player who has just played a great World Cup and has another year of contract.
“If a good club comes with an interesting offer, we will evaluate it carefully.
“Soon we will become a healthy from a financial point of view, we are in no hurry to sell.”
