Report: Man United Nears Toby Alderweireld Transfer
Manchester United is finally set to sign Tottenham center back Toby Alderweireld for around $78m in the coming days, after the two clubs made a breakthrough in negotiations over the weekend.
United has been looking for a top defender for most of the summer - with the Belgian always seeming like its top target - and finally now managed to bring Spurs down from its initial $98 million valuation of the player. Alderweireld is keen on the move, with a massive bump in pay expected to come his way upon the transfer's completion.
The Mirror broke the news on Sunday morning, and United is confident of getting a deal tied up within the next 48 hours.
The news comes at the same time as a new report from The Sun, which explains that a deal for another central defensive target, Yerry Mina of Barcelona, has collapsed. United had agreed personal terms with the player initially - according to multiple reports - but the latest suggests that Mina’s adviser Felipe Russo "moved the goalposts" on the deal and asked for more money.
United representative Matt Judge had travelled to Barcelona last week in order to thrash out a deal, but realistically, Mina never appeared to be on United's radar - and was seen more as a smokescreen as United worked on an Alderweireld deal in the background. It appears that it's turned out that way, too.
Barcelona officials, following its defeat to Milan on Saturday night, however appeared in the dark about United's decision.
Speaking to ESPN, vice-president Jordi Mestre responded when asked if United were interested in the Colombian: "It's top secret. We have to be very careful because Yerry Mina arrived last season and he's very young, but we will see. We will see. The final opinion [on if he stays or goes] is with the coach."
It may have taken all summer and a lot of moaning from Jose Mourinho, but it now appears United are going to get the man they wanted after all.
