Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal feels Barcelona's Dani Alves will be perfect for 3-5-2 formation

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is reportedly keen to sign Barcelona defender Dani Alves on a free transfer in the summer.

According to Italian newspaper Tutto Mercato Web, the Red Devils boss wants to bring the Brazilian right-back to Old Trafford as the manager feels that the defender will be a perfect fit for the 3-5-2 formation that is employed by the club.

Alves is in the final-year of his contract with the Catalan giants and has admitted that he is leaving Barcelona in the summer as he is keen to play in the Premier League.

The former Sevilla player has been a key member at Camp Nou since his arrival in 2008, and has contributed greatly towards their domestic and European successes.

Van Gaal has been on the market to strengthen his defence and the right-back position has one of the key areas the manager is looking to bolster. This has seen the club linked with various players, with Southampton's Nathaniel Clyne and Everton's Seamus Coleman on the top of the Dutch manager's wish list.

However, the former Bayern Munich manager is said to want to sign Alves, who is an attack minded full-back with experience at the highest level, when compared to the two Premier League defenders. And with just six-months remaining on his contract, the Brazilian international is allowed to talk to club's abroad and could sign a pre-contract agreement with United this month.

Apart from the Manchester-based club, Premier League rivals Liverpool have also made their interest in the defender known as Brendan Rodgers seeks an experienced replacement for Glen Johnson, who is set to leave the Anfield club at the end of the current campaign.

Meanwhile, Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has confirmed that Alves' future is uncertain and believes that the player should now focus on performing well for the team.

"What concerns us now is that he plays and contributes to the team," Bartomeu said, as quoted by the Telegraph.

"What is to come, will come. We never explain what we do on the issue of contracts. If it is done, it will be done discretely, like always," the Catalan club's president added.