He's a defender at a European club who leads his side in crosses per game. He excels at passing and played over 40 games last season. And now he's attracting attention from Manchester United.

No, it's not Sergio Ramos. Oh, and this guy only costs £7.1 million.

After failing to secure targets Nathaniel Clyne and Dani Alves, Manchester United are interested in Paris Saint-Germain right-back Gregory van der Wiel. But in this case, the reserve option might not be such a bad thing after all.

Van der Wiel started in Ajax's youth system, and made his first team debut for the club in 2006 before moving to PSG in 2012. The Netherlands international notched 17 assists in 191 appearances for Ajax, and has already matched that number in just 105 outings for PSG.

The 27-year-old had one goal and seven assists for the Ligue 1 champions, but his real value lies in brilliant ball interception and ability to perform under pressure. He averaged two interceptions per game across all competitions, and peaked defensively in PSG's Champions League quarter-final run, when he played all 10 games and led all defenders with 3.1 tackles per game.

The Dutchman is also a fantastic passer, something Manchester United sorely need after a dismal season. United's brand of possession football calls for holding on to the ball and using long passes to control play in the opponent's half, but Louis van Gaal's front line (particularly Fellaini, Falcao and Di Maria) struggled to do so.

With a very young and inexperienced defence in the absence of Michael Carrick and Phil Jones, the Red Devils were exposed to counter attacks. Van der Wiel had a pass success rate of 89.9 percent last season, better than any active player on United's squad, including Carrick. He plays lots of short, key passes, but is also an adept crosser, which could help the Red Devils increase their goal production in the six-yard-box.

While young and less offensively adept than options Van Gaal typically prefers, Van der Wiel no doubt knows what he's doing defensively. He can step up the team's possession game, and shines in competitions like the Champions League, even against huge opponents like Barcelona.

It's a blow for United to see Clyne at Liverpool, but Manchester United would be getting the next-best thing at a bargain price by signing Van der Wiel.

[ad_pod id='ricco' align='center']