Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is reportedly still considering a January move for Ron Vlaar despite the Aston Villa defender recently claiming that the Red Devils have not approached him so far.
The Red Devils were heavily-linked with a summer move for the 29-year-old following reports of van Gaal being keen to bring him to Old Trafford after seeing him do well with Holland in the 2014 World Cup.
But the move failed to materialise and Vlaar remained at Villa Park after United got busy with their other transfer targets.
Newer reports of van Gaal's interest in the Dutchman began to emerge after the end summer transfer window, but Vlaar recently quashed all the speculations, claiming that Manchester United had shown no interest in signing him.
However, now the Guardian claims that van Gaal is still interested in landing the Dutchman as the former Barcelona boss looks to boost his defences this month.
The former Bayern Munich boss has been troubled with a lot of defensive injuries in his inaugural campaign at Old Trafford, with his four main centre-backs Chris Smalling, Jonny Evans, Phil Jones, and Marcos Rojo all facing some time in the sidelines this season.
Due to this reason, van Gaal is keen on getting some new centre-backs in the winter transfer window so that his side will be able to challenge for the Premier League title this season.
Considering United have already spent a lot of money in the summer, they will be looking for some cheaper options this month so that they will not get into trouble with the UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations.
This is why van Gaal is probably interested in signing Vlaar despite being linked to a number of defenders - including Mats Hummels, Diego Godin, Miranda, Gerard Pique and Raphael Varane – in the winter transfer window.
While United's other defensive targets would be costing them a lot of money, Vlaar would be available at a relatively cheaper price in the winter transfer window, (which opens on Saturday) owing to the fact that his contract with Villa is set to expire this summer.
The Villans would also definitely be interested in striking a deal with United this month as the departure of Vlaar in the winter transfer window would see them make some money from his sale.
