Manchester United leads the way for Holland World Cup star
Published:Manchester United look set to steal a march on their Premier League rivals in the pursuit of Feyenoord and Holland defender Stefan de Vrij.
Speaking in an interview with RTV Rijnmond conducted over the weekend, the 22-year-old admitted that he was likely to depart the Eredivisie club over the summer, though he remained tight-lipped about his most likely destination.
“The chances are that I will leave, I can probably confirm this,” he said.
“I am with the Dutch national team so I don’t know the exact details.”
The defender has attracted interest from a number of top European clubs, including Lazio in Serie A, but he could well favour a move to the Premier League and the opportunity to play in the Champions League.
Liverpool, for instance, are said to be tracking the youngster with a view to launching a bid while Spurs and newly-installed manager Mauricio Pochettino are also thought to be keeping close tabs on the defender.
However, both clubs could fall short in their pursuit of the player should Manchester United and Louis van Gaal turn their attention to the Feyenoord man.
The Red Devils have been linked with De Vrij for several months, while it was Van Gaal himself that gave the defender his big break in the Dutch national team, picking the player for a 2012 friendly against Belgium.
And the new United manager will be in a particularly privileged position in the next few weeks as boss of Holland at the World Cup in Brazil.
The tournament could prove the perfect opportunity for Van Gaal to outline his plans for the Old Trafford giants to De Vrij with the former Ajax and Barcelona manager likely to provide a fairly convincing argument as to why he should join him in Manchester.
Ultimately, it’s all shaping up to be a busy few months in the Premier League transfer market.
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