The clock is ticking for Manchester United to acquire Athletic Bilbao’s Aymeric Laporte. The winter transfer window will close in just mere hours. You know that United badly needs defenders, and the center-back would fit in well at Old Trafford.
The Daily Mail says that Bilbao won’t accept anything less than the £31.5 million buy-out clause in Laporte’s contract, while respected Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has said that Laporte is open to a move to United.
Manchester United will make one last big push to sign either Mats Hummels of Borussia Dortmund or Aymeric Laporte of Athletic Bilbao over the last few days of the window, club sources have told ESPN FC.
The Old Trafford hierarchy had taken the decision to pursue only “top priority” targets and wait until the summer if they could not be bought now, but both Hummels an Laporte fall into that category, and United want to at least test the resolve of their clubs given their own ongoing issues in defence.
Aymeric Laporte is supposedly keen on making an Old Trafford move, and Ed Woodward and company are hoping that his eagerness to come to Manchester might convince him to drive down the price. As of now they’re not willing to meet his buy-out clause.
We’ll see what happens over the weekend. Watch this space!
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital, eBay, Google News and CBS Interactive Inc.
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