Old Trafford side chase host of top talents as new boss prepares to take the hot-seat.
Incoming Man United boss Louis van Gaal has drawn up a list of preferred transfer targets that he wishes the Old Trafford side to chase this summer.
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The Guardian claims that the Dutch national team coach has identified a host of players he wishes chief executive Ed Woodward to sign, including three Bayern Munich stars.
The fact that van Gaal would target experienced winger Arjen Robben is perhaps no surprise though a successful acquisition of the 30 year old may be a tough move to pull off.
The former Chelsea man has proven a massive success since moving from Real Madrid to the Allianz Arena back in August 2009, scoring 88 goals in 165 appearances for the German giants and securing three Bundesliga titles and a Champions League triumph among a host of honours.
Van Gaal can clearly ‘sound out’ Robben about a possible move to Man United during the World Cup finals and Man United could certainly do with more effective wide attacking options with the likes of Nani, Ashley Young and Luis Antonio Valencia all failing to make a significant impact this season.
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.
Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels is another target and is arguably the ideal talent to fill the void left by the summer exits of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.
The 25 year old won back to back Bundesliga titles with his Westfalenstadion side but has then seen a number of his team-mates leave for pastures new with the likes of Nuri Sahin (who subsequently returned), Shinji Kagawa and Mario Gotze moving on and with star striker Robert Lewandowski set to move to domestic rivals Bayern Munich the German international defender could feel this is the right time to consider a possible exit himself.
The rock-solid tough tackler may be open to the possibility of being part of van Gaal’s new-look defence and the chance to work under the famed manager is sure to have more pulling power than when David Moyes was in situ.
Van Gaal has also backed the club’s ongoing push to bring in talented Southampton teenager Luke Shaw, who is said to be close to joining Man United in a deal that could cost as much as £27m.
The 18 year old has had an outstanding season at St Mary’s and is part of Roy Hodgson’s World Cup squad and is very much seen as the right man to replace another outgoing defender, French veteran Patrice Evra.
Shaw has matured into a hugely consistent performer in his second season in the Saints set-up, starting 35 of the club’s 38 Premier League fixtures this season.
Van Gaal has also rubber-stamped Man United’s long running pursuit of Bayern Munich midfielder Toni Kroos who is said to be unhappy with his standing within the Allianz Arena side’s salary set-up.
Currently the 24 year old earns in the region of £60k a week which is dwarfed by the sums being paid to the likes of Franck Ribery and Mario Gotze, who earn three times that sum.
The German midfielder has been in long running contract talks with his Bavarian employers but with just over a year to run on his current deal he is seemingly no nearer to reaching an agreement with Bayern Munich, which certainly opens the door to a potential move to Man United.
Bayern Munich know that Kroos’s value will plummet if by the end of the upcoming transfer window he is still not tied down to a long term deal and as such could consider decent offers for his services, not least as Pep Guardiola has a wealth of central midfielders in his armoury.
Man United could certainly do with some added quality in this department with the likes of Micheal Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Tom Cleverley and Marouane Fellaini all failing to make much of an impact in the final third.
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