Barcelona have been closely monitoring the Dutch defender and they see him as the ideal replacement for Javier Mascherano, who is set to join Chinese outfit Hebei China Fortune in January.

And with Man Utd being recently linked with Samuel Umtiti, Blind could be used as a makeweight in the deal.

But Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is plotting to crash the negotiations by tempting the 27-year-old to the Bernabeu.

Blind has scored one goal in 18 appearances for United this term.

And he is seen as the ideal man as Los Blancos are keen to find a long-term partner for skipper Sergio Ramos at the heart of the defence.

According to Spanish publication Don Balon, Perez is a fond admirer of Blind.

And the prospect of getting one over their arch rivals is also tempting the Real chief to make a move.

The report adds that Barca are also still chasing Palmeiras centre-back Yerry Mina.

And Real are preparing to fight them on that front, too.

The 23-year-old is said to be on the verge of a move to the Nou Camp.

But Zinedine Zidane’s side want to stop the La Liga leaders strengthening too much so they can try to close the 14 point gap in the table.