Manchester United are desperate to sign Kevin Strootman…
Manchester United are prepared to offer Roma Spanish playmaker Juan Mata in order to secure the signing of Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman, who is widely regarded as their number one January target.
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The Daily Mirror believe that United will step up their interest in the player in the coming weeks, despite the Serie A club’s sporting director Walter Sabatini insisting that the 24-year-old was not for sale.
Not content with having already spent £150m this summer, United boss Louis van Gaal is targeting further signings to strengthen his team, including a £25m deal for the Roma playmaker.
United are prepared to do whatever it takes to secure an instant return to Champions League football, and will add further marquee signings to those of Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao.
There are concerns that Van Gaal’s squad still needs strengthening in defence and midfield, and a player that he has already managed an international level is viewed as the ideal solution to the latter of those issues, with the player having now recovered from a recent knee injury that ruled him out of much of last season.
The source believes that United will not stop there as Van Gaal sets about reviving the fallen giants of English football after a spectacular summer of spending, with senior officials at the club promising more to come.
In addition, Roma’s Italian rivals Juventus are also keen on Mata, who is free to leave United despite having only signed for a then club record fee of £37.1m in January. However, their interest will be Champions League-dependent. If they don’t qualified for the last 16, they will drop out of the chase.
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