Man Utd defender Rojo close to joining Valencia

Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo could be about to join Valencia in a 12 million deal, according to reports in Spain.

Deporte Valenciano is reporting that Argentinian defender Marcos Rojo is on the verge of joining Valencia in a €12 million deal from Manchester United.

Rojo joined United in the summer of 2014 for £16 million from Sporting Clube de Portugal, following a string of impressive performances to help his county reach the World Cup final in Brazil.

But since moving to Old Trafford, Rojo has struggled to produce his best form on a consistent basis, and it is widely believed that new United manager José Mourinho is keen to offload the versatile defender in order to make further additions to his squad.

It is being reported that Mourinho is keen to bring in an experienced centre-back before the transfer window closes next week, and the former Chelsea boss has identified Southampton’s 32-year-old captain José Fonte as his primary target.

The Red Devils believe they will be able to secure the capture of Fonte for around £10 million, however, Mourinho has been told by the United hierarchy that he must sell or loan some high earning players to reduce the club’s wage bill before he can make any further purchases.

Rojo is one of the player the manager is looking to ship out, with Matteo Darmian and Phil Jones also facing uncertain Old Trafford futures.