MANCHESTER UNITED ARE making a concerted effort to sign Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal before the transfer window closes on Monday.
The Premier League side have been monitoring Vidal all summer but have been put off by the Turin club’s strong, public stance that the Chilean would not be sold.
With Vidal not willing to force a move and jeapordise his relationship with the Juve fans, and the club’s reluctance to be seen to offload one of their star men, United were left in limbo. Louis van Gaal had been willing to wait until January to make a move for Roma’s Kevin Strootman if United could not land his top targets this summer.
But there is growing confidence at Old Trafford that a big-money offer will smooth Vidal’s exit without villifying either player or club in the eyes of supporters. Juventus are holding out for €50 million and United are keen to get a deal done as they look to strengthen the squad at Van Gaal’s disposal following the British transfer record arrival of Angel Di Maria.
The Argentine sealed an €84m move from Real Madrid on Tuesday to take the Red Devils’s summer spending past the €160m mark, but they are determined to bring in more players before Monday’s deadline.
The club are also considering a late move for Ajax utility man Daley Blind, a player United have been monitoring all summer despite the Dutch club’s insistence that they have not been contacted by United whatsoever. Technical Director Marc Overmars said on Wednesday that Blind would only be sold for an “absolute top price” this summer, admitting that a cheaper sale in 2015 is possible.
But United are in a hurry following a poor start to the season which turned embarrassing on Tuesday evening when they lost 4-0 to League One outfit MK Dons in the Capital One Cup.
That match could be the last ever in a United shirt for several players. Danny Welbeck, Anderson and Javier Hernandez all started at Stadium:mk and Van Gaal is willing to let them leave the club this week if suitors come forward. Borussia Dortmund are also interested in a loan move for Shinji Kagawa, who left Signal Iduna Park for Old Trafford in 2012.
The Japan international was withdrawn on Tuesday evening with a head injury after just 19 minutes. It would be a final appearance to sum up his two-year spell in English football, which has failed to get off the ground under first Sir Alex Ferguson and then David Moyes, with new boss Van Gaal willing to cut the club’s losses.
- Paul Clennam
