Manchester United Transfer Rumor: Red Devils On High Alert For Young French Defensive Midfielder?

If the latest reports are to be believed, Premiership giants Manchester United are setting up a handsome transfer bid this summer for French Ligue 1 side Rennes' young defensive midfielder Yann M'Vila to lure him away to Old Trafford.

Previously, Rennes' manager Frederic Antonetti had revealed that the player could be leaving at the end of the season and this has put United boss Sir Alex Ferguson on high alert to sign the talented Frenchman before any club can make a move.

United could benefit from signing M'Vila, 21, as midfield has been a problematic area for the men from Old Trafford the entire season with many critics coming down hard on the lack of depth in the creative line. Moreover, players like Ashley Young, Antonio Valencia, Anderson and Tom Cleverley have all spent a good bit of time on the sidelines with injury issues that has led the boss to call up veteran Paul Scholes.

And although Phil Jones has done impressively well in the central midfield area when asked to maintain that role, the holding midfield may still seem a little bit troubling creating major gaps for other teams to take advantage of.

Commanding a fee of around $37.22 million (£27 million), the player has also attracted the fancies of fellow Premiership sides Arsenal and Manchester City, according to a Footy Bunker report.

M'Vila, who arrived from the youth academy of French Championnat de France amateur (Fourth Divison) side FC Mantes in 2004, has made a total of 124 appearances for the Rennes senior team. He has made 18 appearances for France thus far.