Manchester United summer business plan revealed
Manchester United’s summer business plans have been revealed today, with The Telegraph reporting as many as TEN departures from Old Trafford and at least four incomings this summer.
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After Monday’s defeat to Arsenal, Manchester United will finish the season trophyless for the second time in a row for the the first time in 28 years. Louis Van Gaal admitted before the game that a place in next season’s Champions League would take priority but with that far from secure with just ten league games remaining, van Gaal is ready to give everything to the cause.
The Dutch coach spent £150 million last summer signing six players but also offloaded fourteen stars including Danny Welbeck, Javier Hernandez, Nani, Shinji Kagawa and Tom Cleverley. van Gaal is reportedly ready to embark on a similar summer transfer window this season, with up to ten players ready to be moved on should a respectable offer be made.
Jonny Evans, Rafael, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Tom Cleverley, Nani, Javier Hernandez, Falcao and Anders Lindegaard will all be available for a permanent move away from Old Trafford, while Juan Mata could be deemed dispensable should a lucrative bid come in.
According to The Telegraph, van Gaal has identified central defence, right-back, central midfield and a striker as his priorities for the summer and the UK newspaper believe they know who the top targets are for Manchester United.
Nathaniel Clyne has been scouted by the Reds for the last 18 months and with his contract set to enter it’s final 12 months, he would be very much obtainable. With the boss clearly not a fan of Rafael Da Silva, Clyne would come to the club as first choice right-back and wouldn’t take a huge chunk out of the transfer budget at around £15 million.
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In central defence, van Gaal is not convinced by his current options. After handing new contracts to Paddy McNair and Tyler Blackett it’s expected that at least two of the senior options will be sold. Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans will all enter the final 12 months of their contract and van Gaal will look to bring in some ball playing defenders. Mats Hummels is a long-term target and should the Reds secure Champions League football it seems almost inevitable that the World Cup winner will become a Manchester United player. According to the report, Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte has also been monitored by van Gaal’s men and could become a target depending on other exits or a potential fee.
After suffering another long-term knee injury, Kevin Strootman’s future is in a bubble. van Gaal is a known long-term admirer and it’s possible that he could still try to make the deal happen for a reduced fee after the Dutch midfielder missed 18 months of football in the last two seasons. A fee of around £40 million was mooted before his most recent injury and Manchester United now feel a fee of around £20 million could persuade Roma to cut their ties with the troubled 24 year old.
In attack, Manchester United are keen to boost their options. Falcao is likely to be sent back to Monaco after a poor season in Manchester, which almost certainly means that Robin van Persie will enter the final year of his contract. The Dutch striker has struggled for form since his first season at the club and with his old injury problems returning once again, there was talk that he could be sold. However, with a totally free summer coming up for him it’s believed that he will come back totally refreshed and return to his old self. But with Falcao set to leave, United will need to bolster their attack. Pablo Dybala and Mauro Icardi have been scouted, while Burnley striker Danny Ings has recently been linked with a move but the main target is Edinson Cavani.
The Uruguayan has a formidable goalscoring record and is known to be unhappy in Paris so a move is certainly possible. United have scouted him for the last two seasons and while the fee would be big, its definitely a go-er should the Reds make their interest concrete.
With a busy summer upcoming, Champions League football remains vital to getting their top targets.