Agent Reveals £16.5m Asking Price for Manchester United Target Mateo Musacchio

The agent for Manchester United defender target Mateo Musacchio has revealed that the Villarreal centre-back could be available for a transfer fee of £16.5m.

According to talkSPORT, the Premier League champions' manager David Moyes has set his eyes on the Argentine centre-half as a replacement for Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, who are entering the final six months of their contracts.

Vidic's future at the club remains uncertain after his representative admitted the Serbian will evaluate the options at the end of the season. And former England international Ferdinand, 35, is unlikely to be handed a new deal, which means the veteran pair could leave the club in the summer.

The 23-year-old has been a regular figure in Villarreal's back four, making 21 starts in La Liga this season. Musacchio's contract with the Spanish outfit runs out in 2018 and his agent has ruled out a transfer in January.

"The player's contract expires in 2018 and his market value is approximately £16.5m. He is a very young player. For now it will be difficult to transfer him," Musacchio's agent Marcelo Lombilla told Marca.

The English champions could face competition from Italy as the defender's agent admitted that a move to Fiorentina is on the cards. Lombilla suggested a transfer to Italy in the summer is a possibility after claiming Musacchio would be happy to work under Vincenzo Montella in Florence.

"The player would be interested in projects like Fiorentina, but we are waiting for concrete proposals in the future. We do not have any kind of scheduled meeting with their officials," the Argentine defender's agent said.

"In June we will see. He is very attached to [former Villarreal players] Gonzalo Rodriguez and Borja Valero and often maintains contact. The club Fiorentina is growing. I think my client would be fine with a coach like Vincenzo Montella," Lombilla concluded.

After the Premier League champions completed Juan Mata's signing from Chelsea for a club-record transfer fee of £37.1m, Moyes revealed the Spaniard would be the first of many new arrivals at Old Trafford. However, the United manager had ruled out the possibility of any new additions in the current transfer window.