Manchester United has made Benfica midfielder Nicolás Gaitán a target for the January transfer window, but will have to meet a £40 million release clause to sign him.
Gaitán, who impressed during United’s 1-1 draw against the Portuguese club in a Champions League group fixture last month, has been watched repeatedly by Sir Alex Ferguson’s European scouting team in recent months.
As a result of interest from United, Inter Milan and Paris St Germain, Benfica have secured the 23 year-old to a five-year contract this week, which will see the Argentine more than double his annual salary to £2 million.
But despite increasing Gaitán’s wages, Benfica have been unable to increase the release clause within the player’s contract beyond the existing £40 million trigger fee.
United, who are also monitoring Anderlecht’s Argentine midfielder Lucas Biglia, remain in the market for an attacking midfielder after failing in summer attempts to sign Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder and Samir Nasri, who rejected United in favour of a move from Arsenal to Manchester City.
Although Gaitán has largely been deployed as a left-sided winger by Benfica in recent months, the former Boca Juniors player has regularly played in an advanced role behind midfield and attack, a position United have yet to fill following Paul Scholes’s retirement at the end of last season.
Benfica are determined to resist attempts to sign Gaitán, however, and are understood to be keen to retain the player’s services for at least another 18 months.
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