According to a report by Daily Mail, Manchester United are eyeing a summer deal for Atletico Madrid defender Sime Vrsaljko. The report claims that Atletico will accept a fee in the region of £30million for the 26-year-old, who played a key role for the Spanish side last season.

Although he is a right-back by trade, Vrsaljko can also play as a left-back. He has been a regular in Diego Simeone’s side in recent times and is particularly renowned for his aerial abilities. In addition to being a solid defender, the Croatian can also supply some impressive crosses to create scoring opportunities.

As far as United are concerned, there is a significant shortage of quality options in the full-back department. The likes of Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia have done well at left-back and right-back respectively but both players are on the wrong side of 30.

To give credit where it is due, one cannot deny that Valencia was a strong performer for us in the recently concluded season. But going forward, it will be important for us to boost squad depth, especially in the event of unforeseen injuries.

Daily Mail has also claimed that United are working towards negotiating a lower fee for Vrsaljko. It remains to be seen how things progress as far as this transfer is concerned but given the circumstances, the Croatian certainly seems like a viable option worth considering.

With Champions League football and a Premier League title to fight for, United will have their hands full and could certainly use a player like Vrsaljko.