Manchester United tempted to trigger £32m buy-out clause of Athletic Bilbao starlet

Manchester United are interested in signing France defender Aymeric Laporte this summer, according to the Manchester Evening News.

The 13-time Premier League champions, who were pinned back to a injury-time 1-1 draw away to Chelsea at the weekend, are considering making a move for the highly-rated Athletic Bilbao star at the end of the current 2015-16 campaign.

The 21-year-old, who is a France Under-21 international, has scored five goals in 34 appearances in all competitions for the La Liga outfit this season.

However the centre-half only signed a new contract with Bilbao last summer that includes a £32m buy-out clause, a fee Louis van Gaal’s Red Devils will have to match if they want to try and lure Laporte to Old Trafford later this year.

Last April; the defender signed a deal with football agent Jorge Mendes, who is thought to have a good working relationship with United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward having negotiated deals for the likes of Angel Di Maria and Radamel Falcao in the past.