As you watch the World Cup Final on Sunday, here are six Man United transfer targets to keep an eye on: two on Argentina, four on Germany. I’m not saying how many, if any, are coming to Old Trafford. I’m just telling you who’s been linked to Old Trafford and giving you more background on each one.
We’ll start with Argentina. These players are not ranked in any particular order.
Ezequiel Garay
Back in January, Manchester United opened talks with Benfica over a deal for centre-back Ezequiel Garay which will be completed at the end of the season. Ezequiel Garay has been targeted by theRed Devils in each of the last four transfer windows, with both Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes coveting him.
Now it looks like Tottenham Hotspur have joined in to the running to grab him. At least according to Football Direct News. It remains to be seen if Louis van Gaal is actually interested in pursuing him with the same zeal as the previous regimes.
Angel Di Maria
Manchester United are stepping up for Angel Di Maria. They have major competition for the Real Madrid and Argentine World Cup star. Arsenal, Manchester City, a rumored offer of €40 million forDiMaria from Juventus is just the start. Paris St-Germain submitted a £48million offer for the Argentina World Cup star. (Here’s more on the Di Maria interest)
And here’s a video with more on the actual game:
Bastian Schweinsteiger
By far the most fun name to say in this tournament. The Independent reported earlier that Manchester United will make a £25 million bid for the Bayern Munich midfielder. He’s been linked as one of the top targets in Louis van Gaal ‘s wish list. But we’ll see. This list of United transfer targets is not organized in any particular order (more on Schweinsteiger here)
Sami Khedira
He’s been more linked to Liverpool than MUFC. However, United are supposedly prepared to increase their £30 million bid for the Real Madrid midfielder says The Sun.
Mats Hummels
United are ready to test Jurgen Klopp’s resolve with an offer of £20 million. Hummels is getting a ton of attention this transfer window. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona are pursuing Hummels; who said in the past that: “Barca is one of the clubs that would interest me.”
From the Express: “Louis Van Gaal has been backed to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels”
Toni Kroos
Oh man, where do I start? We’ve been tracking this one for over 6 months. And this recruitment and transfer gossip has had so much drama, and twist and turns to the plot. Kroos won’t be discussing his future at Bayern Munich until after the World Cup, with Real Madrid and Barcelona also interested, says the Express. Reports in Spain claim that Real Madrid are closing in on the midfielder after striking a verbal agreement with Kroos, whilst Barcelona have sent representatives to Brazil in an effort to lure him to the Nou Camp.
In the 2-1 Germany win over Algeria Monday, the ESPNbroadcasters mentioned a couple times that Kroos heading to Real Madrid is an inevitability. (more detail on the latest on Kroos here)
From the Express today: “Chelsea have made a late bid to hijack Real Madrid’s move for Manchester United target Toni Kroos”
I do apologize for not having the umlauts (sp?) for these names, As an American of Bavarian descent, I should have found a way to overcome my American keyboard and find a way. Good luck to the German national team.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports and Yahoo! The Postgame. He’s been a guest on news talk shows all across the world. Banks has been featured in numerous media outlets including NFL.com, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Deadspin, ESPN, NBC, the History Channel and more. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)