Miranda Atletico Madrid Malmo Markus Rosenberg
Atletico Madrid defender Miranda (R) could be set for a move to Manchester United in JanuaryReuters

Manchester United are set to complete a transfer for Miranda, after Atletico Madrid agreed to lower down their demands for the experienced central defender, and accept a fee of around £20 million.

Louis Van Gaal is desperate to bring in a centre-back with plenty of know-how into the Manchester United squad in the January transfer window, and Miranda has been heavily linked with a move along with Atletico's other central defender Diego Godin.

Manchester United now have a clear path to Miranda, with Atletico ready to accept a £20 million offer for the Brazilian.

Previously, Atletico Madrid had stood firm over any interest club matching Miranda's £24 million buyout clause, but following the steady emergence of the young Jose Gimenez, who, incidentally, has also been linked with a move to Manchester United, the La Liga champions are ready to settle for the lower fee.

Paying the £20 million should not be a problem for Manchester United, who have plenty of cash to spend, and it remains to be seen if Van Gaal deems Miranda as the man to lead his back-four.

According to the Daily Express, Miranda is more than willing to sign for Manchester United, and was even ready to do so last summer, when the English Premier League club saw their offer rejected by Atletico Madrid.

Van Gaal has been linked with several big names in the transfer window, with the likes of Mats Hummels, Raphael Varane and Gerard Pique also on his radar.

While Miranda will undoubtedly add more experience and steel to his defence, it remains to be seen if the Manchester United manager sees the Brazil international as the long-term solution.

The likes of Godin, Hummels, Varane, especially, and Pique are considerably younger, and while the Manchester United defence is crying out for experience, all three of them bring plenty of that particular attribute with them.

Manchester United have previously stressed they will only spend big in the January transfer window if one of their prime targets become available, and with all the above players only likely to be available in the summer, maybe Van Gaal might think twice about going for Miranda, who, it must be said, was pivotal in Atletico's brilliant campaign last season, when they won the La Liga title and reached the final of the Champions League.