Man Utd close on Heinze
Manchester United are set to complete the signing of Argentine defender Gabriel Heinze from Paris St Germain.
Although United maintained their policy of making no comment, BBC Sport understands they have agreed a £6m fee for the 26-year-old.
The left-sided central defender is now believed to be discussing personal terms with the Old Trafford outfit.
Heinze´s capture would take United´s summer spending to £13m following the arrival of £7m striker Alan Smith.
Argentina have called Heinze into their squad for the World Cup quallifiers next month.
Before joining PSG, Heinze played for Valladolid in Spain and Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.
United would have no problems gaining a work permit for Heinze as he holds a German passport.
Heinze could be an ideal partner for Rio Ferdinand when the England defender returns from suspension, allowing Mikael Silvestre to return to left back.
Chelsea reportedly made a £7m bid for the player in January, but PSG president Francis Graille said at the time Heinze would not be allowed to leave until the end of the season.
Si la BBC le dit c´est sérieux donc ^^
L´avis du spécialiste Sud-Américain de la BBC:
Heinze steps out of the shadows
By Tim Vickery
Man Utd close on Heinze
Manchester United transfer target Gabriel Heinze is one of a small but growing breed in Argentine football.
There are those players who have broken into the international squad despite hardly being known by their own home public.
It is a consequence both of the explosion of the global transfer market in the second half of the 1990s, and of Argentina´s economic crisis, which made it attractive for players to leave at an ever earlier age.
It meant that before the recent World Cup qualifier at home to Ecuador, Heinze´s 5th cap and his first start in a competitive international, the Argentine press had to introduce the defender to their readers.
" I left Argentina after just eight games with Newells Old Boys," said Heinze at the time, " and I went to Valladolid, a small club in Spain.
He´s a tough marker, he´s quick, is a good striker of the ball and heads well in both penalty areas
Le Mans´ Argentine forward Fernando D´Amico
" So those who say I am an unknown in Argentina are quite right. But now I feel that the gamble I took is paying off, and I´m proud of what is happening with my career."
He has been highly praised for an excellent season with Paris Saint Germain.
" For me he´s the best defender in France," says Fernando D´Amico, an Argentine who plays for Le Mans.
" He´s a typical European style defender. He´s a tough marker, he´s quick, is a good striker of the ball and heads well in both penalty areas.
" A defect? When he plays at full-back he doesn´t get up and down the pitch."
In the event, Heinze had some problems with the pace and power of Ecuador striker Carlos Tenório.
But the Argentine press concluded that he had stood up well against a difficult opponent, and he is likely to retain his place for the trip to Brazil early next month.
The game, in Belo Horizonte, will provide an atmosphere that he doesn´t see too often in the French football.
" It is an important league," he says, " but the only really hot games are those against Olympique Marseille."
If his move to Old Trafford goes through that is not a complaint he is likely to be making next season.
