Louis van Gaal is also keen on landing German international Thomas Muller, a player who’s development in the game owes a lot to the veteran manager.
It was van Gaal who offered Muller the chance to make a sustained impact in the Bayern Munich first team set-up and the 24 year old forward may well be tempted by a fresh challenge having represented the Allianz Arena side since the age of 11.
The adaptable attacker can play in an orthodox striking role but works most effectively in a wide berth and has more than proven himself capable of making an impact at the very highest level.
A move for Muller would clearly require a massive fee but one imagines that Man United’s owners are more than willing to hand van Gaal the finances needed to help the club recover from a disastrous campaign.