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United pursuing Herrera and Mangala

David Moyes remains keen on bolstering his Manchester United squad with the Scot upping his interest in Athletic Bilbao midfielder Ander Herrera and Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala.

Strengthening the United midfield has been the main priority for Moyes since taking over at Old Trafford but, despite the £27.5 million addition of Marouane Fellaini from Everton, the club endured a difficult summer transfer window and missed out on several prime targets.

Moyes failed to sign Herrera on transfer deadline day when negotiations with Bilbao stumbled over the 24-year-old's £30.5m release clause. United also missed out in their previous pursuits of Thiago Alcantara who joined Bayern Munich and Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas.

However, the United boss is still thought to be interested in securing Herrera's signature and the club plan to monitor the 24-year-old during Bilbao's upcoming tie with Granada.

Meanwhile, Moyes and United chief executive Ed Woodward have held discussions over bringing in a new central defender next summer, according to The Guardian.

With Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic both entering the final stages of their respective careers, Moyes has pinpointed Mangala as an ideal replacement for the centre of his backline.

The 22-year-old was instrumental in Porto's defence of the Primera Liga title last season and has attracted the interest of several European clubs including Manchester City, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.

Mangala signed for Porto from Standard Liege in 2011 and reportedly has a £37.8m release clause in his current contract, meaning his services would not come cheap.

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