Manchester United seal deal for Ezequiel Garay, according to Portuguese source

According to Portuguese journalist Gonçalo Lopes of the Diário de Notícias newspaper, Manchester United have completed a deal to sign Benfica defender Ezequiel Garay -- though he reportedly won't arrive at Old Trafford until the summer. Lopes tweeted:

Garay to #mufc is a done deal. Transfer will happen in june. #abola #benfica

— Gonçalo Lopes (@_GoncaloLopes) January 10, 2014

With Rio Ferdinand likely on his way out and the possbility of Nemanja Vidić following him, the Red Devils could do with a new centre-back now as much as ever. Of course, that doesn't necessarily make the report genuine, and scepticism is understandable given that Garay has supposedly been a United target for longer than time itself.

It's also worth nothing that if his hashtag use is anything to go by, Lopes is just rehashing a report in another Portuguese paper, A Bola. So as per usual, this rumour should be taken with a pinch of salt.

The 27-year-old Argentine centre-back has picked up 18 caps at international level, and despite a spell at Real Madrid, hasn't really shown himself to be a world class defender -- and certainly not a player you'd expect David Moyes to abandon his usual thrift to land.

However, with United's defence looking less convincing by the week, any reinforcement would be welcome.