Old Trafford side set for busy summer.
Man United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will be handed a massive transfer budget according to the Daily Mail, with the Old Trafford club’s owners ready to fund high-profile additions to boost the Scot’s squad.
Huge sponsorship deals with AON and Nike, and a myriad of others, will swell the coffers and though Ferguson’s side did wrestle back the Premier League title from their ‘noisy neighbours’ Man City they also failed to negotiate a path to the business end of the Champions League and Ferguson is said to have earmarked moves for prospective additions.
Man United are said to ready to enter the race to highly rated Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski according to the Daily Mail.
Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to step up his pursuit of the Polish international after seeing the 24 year old crack in four goals in a memorable display against Real Madrid earlier this week.
Lewandowski has been on the Old Trafford radar for some time and having already brought in Shinji Kagawa from the Westfalenstadion side. However Man United must battle Bayern Munich, who are said to have failed with a £21m bid for the striker this week.
Man United sent scouts to watch Lewandowski in action against Real Madrid and the Dortmund striker did not disappoint, bringing his total to the season to 33, an improvement on the 30 he managed in all competitions last term.
The Old Trafford side are also reportedly said to be keen on bringing former Old Trafford hero Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford according to The Sun.
The 28 year old Bernabeu star has been locked in contract talks with Spanish giants Real Madrid for months and with just over two years to run on his current deal this source claims that an offer of £65m could be sufficient to land a player who cost a world record £80m back in 2009.
A move to re-sign Ronaldo would be a major statement of intent and if Jose Mourinho were to leave Real Madrid in the summer there is perhaps more of a possibility that the Portuguese international would consider leaving the La Liga side.
Sir Alex Ferguson has been linked with numerous potential defensive additions, presumably as potential long term replacements for Rio Ferdinand and injury prone captain Nemanja Vidic.
Rock solid centre-back Ezequiel Garay, who left Real Madrid to get his career back on track and has certainly caught the eye this term, has helped his side to the top of the Primeira Liga.
The Argentine may well be on Ferguson’s shopping list but worth noting the Scot has Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones as potential options, all of whom are younger than Garay.
Mats Hummels is another potential defensive target according to the Daily Express and given that Jurgen Klopp saw Shinji Kagawa make the move from Borussia Dortmund to Old Trafford there is perhaps a decent chance that Ferguson could look to do likewise with the 24 year old German international.
Klopp has seen Mario Gotze agree terms on a deal to join Bayern Munich and could also lose Robert Lewandowski this summer and one wonders if the Bundesliga side could end up seeing a number of big names leave since losing their domestic crown to their Bavarian rivals.
Hummels is a very capable performer who is contracted to the Bundesliga outfit until 2017, the defender will not come cheap, especially considering the fact that the 24 year old is currently one of the stand-out centre halves in the world game.
Sven Bender is one of a selection of midfielders said to be on Sir Alex Ferguson’s radar and as with other Borussia Dortmund talent’s there is a big question mark over the club’s ability to keep hold of their prized assets.
Ferguson could well feel the need to freshen up his midfield this summer. Paul Scholes is expected to retire from the game this summer, having returned to Old Trafford having quit the game a year ago. Anderson continues to struggle to consistently impress and Darren Fletcher is still recovering from long term illness.
The club’s most accomplished midfielder is Michael Carrick, who has had an excellent campaign, but at 31 he too is clearly in the latter stages of his career.
23 year old box to box performer Bender is into his fourth season at Borussia Dortmund having previously plied his trade with TSV 1860 Munich.
Considered one of the hottest young prospects in European football Christian Eriksen is another player Sir Alex Ferguson has taken a shine to.
The 21 year old Danish international has been in superb form at the Amsterdam Arena club over the past three seasons and is on course to help his Ajax side to a third successive Eredivisie crown. The goal-scoring midfielder’s stock rose further during the current campaign due to some solid displays in the Champions League.
A move for Eriksen would adhere to Ferguson’s youthful transfer policy, the capture of Robin Van Persie being the exception to the rule.
Despite his tender years, Eriksen has already racked up 34 caps for his country and made over 100 league appearances for Ajax, scoring 22 times.
The young playmaker, who can operate in the hole or even as a central striker, has netted ten goals in 42 appearances for the Amsterdam club this season.
Claudio Marcishio is another name on Sir Alex Ferguson’s wish-list with the Italian international being a long term target of the Old Trafford side.
The 27 year old one club man is apparently back on the Man United radar amid talk that Juventus may be ready to listen to offers for the attacking midfielder.
Sir Alex Ferguson is known to be an admirer of young Italian Marco Verratti but will have to fork out a large sum for his services and the Scot would also have to beat off interest from other prospective suitors, some of which are from Verratti’s native Italy.
The young playmaker moved to PSG in the summer after impressing many with his assured displays at Pescara and Verratti is now a firm part of Cesare Prandelli’s Italian national team set-up.
Arguably the Man United midfield is a little brittle and doesn’t offer all that much in the way of attacking verve. Ferguson still relies on old timers Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and to a greater extent Michael Carrick and though Tom Cleverly has impressed the Scottish boss may feel he needs more creativity in the centre of the park and appears to see Verratti as an option this summer.
Alex Sandro is one of two players often linked with moves to Old Trafford to replace veteran left-back Patrice Evra, this despite the fact that Ferguson signed Dutchman Alexander Buttner to perform just such a function last summer and has as yet barely used the former Vitesse Arnhem man.
Sandro is an impressive enough target though, with the £8m rated Brazilian international showing a great deal of consistency since his move to Portugal from Santos back in 2011.
Leighton Baines is perhaps a more frequently cited target and Man United are apparently ready to offer £15m for the England man and could well be confident of landing the former Wigan Athletic man, who knows that a high-profile move could further his ambition to displace Ashley Cole as Roy Hodgson’s first choice starter with the 2014 World Cup in Brazil on the horizon.
With David Moyes’s Toffees future hanging in the balance the usual clamour to snap up the Goodison Park side’s top talents may be even more ferocious and Baines at 28 may now feel it’s time to move on after six seasons at the Goodison Park side.