In what will be bad news for the Premiership duo Real Madrid has now expressed an interest in Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte.
Both the Gunners and United have been tracking the 6ft 2in 20-year-old who has established himself as a regular in the French U-21 side.
Laporte has been with Bilbao since 2010 establishing himself in the first-team making 35 la liga appearances for the Basque club last season.
Real Madrid along with Bayern Munich and Barcelona have also expressed interest in Laporte, but have been told by Bilbao that his £40 million buyout clause must be met.
Los Blanco’s however are holding an ace up their sleeve knowing that Bilbao would like to get a hold of midfielder Asier Illarramendi, yet even holding that card may not prove to be enough as they rate Laporte so highly.
