Didn’t the German national team look VERY impressive in their 1-nil defeat of France? Now they move on the World Cup semi-finals to take on Brazil on Tuesday. The host nation will be without Neymar, so you have to like the chances of Die Mannschaft in this one. And what about the chances of Manchester United landing one of the Germany stars this transfer window?
Well, there’s one name in particular that you’ve heard over and over and over again, but his destination, if he even leaves Bavaria in the first place, won’t be decided until after the World Cup.
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)