Manchester United are preparing a £15m bid to sign Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen, according to the Daily Mail.
Following the departures of centre-back Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, United have been searching for a replacement and Vermaelen is believed to be their main target.
The defender is also a target for Barcelona and the Spanish side have already made a £10m bid for the Belgian international.
United’s Executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has accepted that he must pay high prices to persuade the defender to sign at Old Trafford.
The 28-year-old, who was their official club captain last season, was limited to just seven Premier League starts as Wenger preferred the partnership of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.
Since joining from Ajax, Vermaelen has made 150 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 15 goals.
The Red Devils are also interested in signing Daley Blind, who was part of the Netherlands World Cup squad that was managed by Louis van Gaal.
The Ajax defender is a left-wing back but can provide cover to summer signing Luke Shaw.