The Premier League champions have launched a
big-money bid for the former Spain Under-21 international after being
frustrated by Everton's stance over Marouane Fellaini
Manchester United have had a €30m bid for Ander Herrera rejected by Athletic Bilbao.
Athletic chiarman Josu Urrutia confirmed on Friday that he has rebuffed a bid from David Moyes' side, who have so far floundered in their attempts to attract midfield reinforcements to Old Trafford.
"There's an offer from Manchester [United] for Ander Herrera," Urrutia told reporters. "Our club is different, it bases itself on sentiment. Our goal is not to make money. We consider Athletic a unique club and the players have to think like that.
"We received the proposal last night and we said that we don't negotiate for our players. For a player to leave, he first has to show that he wants to leave the club then deposit the clause."
The move comes as Everton continue to play hardball over Marouane Fellaini - and Leighton Baines - following a summer in which United have missed out on primary targets Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantara.
While the club's Fellaini hopes are not dead, they have started to broaden their search with Monday's transfer deadline looming.
Ander's release clause stands at €36m, and Athletic have told the Premier League champions that they must match that figure if they want to sign the 24-year-old.
The Basque club last summer insisted that Bayern Munich pay the full clause for Javi Martinez, who eventually moved to Bavaria for €40m.
It is unknown whether United will return with a larger offer for the midfielder, who joined Athletic from Zaragoza in 2011, though manager Moyes is a long-time admirer.
A club source told Goal: "David has always been a massive fan of Ander's, having monitored him since his time at Zaragoza."
Ander has represented Spain at Under-20 and U21 level, as well as at the 2012 Olympics, but is yet to receive a call-up to the senior squad. ------------------goal.com
He is a good player, my uncle also collected his Athletic Club Bilbao football shirt from http://www.wysjg.com/athletic-club-bilbao-c-1_46/
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