United could offer two players for Colombia winger.
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Manchester United look set to make a last-ditch effort to thwart Real Madrid’s move for AS Monaco winger James Rodriguez with a sensational swap deal on the table for the Ligue 1 side.
Although it is widely expected that Rodriguez’s fine World Cup form for Colombia will earn him a £71m move to Madrid sometime next week, United remain big fans of his and will hope to see their ambitious cash-plus-players bid win the race for his signature, CaughtOffside understands.
United could try offering a fee of around £35m as well as both Shinji Kagawa and Javier Hernandez, with the two squad members at Old Trafford hopefully enough to tempt Monaco into thinking their star player could be adequately replaced.
Although neither player has been on top form in recent times for the Red Devils, they remain highly regarded talents and have been linked with some big clubs over the course of the last few months due to their uncertain situations at Old Trafford.
Japanese playmaker Kagawa could prove a useful addition for Monaco off the pitch as well as on it, with the arrival of the 25-year-old surely set to boost the club’s commercial revenue in the far east.
The former Borussia Dortmund star could also replace Rodriguez’s influence in the attacking midfield position, having established himself as one of the best playmakers in Europe during his time in the Bundesliga, showing great creativity, skill and an eye for goal, even if he has not quite managed to rediscover his touch in a United shirt.
Hernandez could also be a useful signing for the French side, who face the risk of losing star striker Radamel Falcao to Real Madrid this summer, leaving them with just the ageing Dimitar Berbatov in attack as Emmanuel Riviere completed a move to Newcastle United earlier this week.
The Mexican international had a great start to life at United but has since gone downhill, and could benefit from a move to another club, with the likes of Inter Milan also thought to be keen on him.
Even if Monaco accept this interesting offer, United may still face a struggle in persuading Rodriguez to choose them over his boyhood club Real, with talks already well under way for the South American starlet to seal a dream move to the Bernabeu.
Still, with another Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria seemingly now out of reach for United, new manager Louis van Gaal has made Rodriguez one of his top targets.