Man United’s ever-increasing financial muscle means Louis van Gaal can pursue Gareth Bale if he becomes available.
|||London - Manchester United’s ever-increasing financial muscle means manager Louis van Gaal can pursue his major summer transfer targets and still have enough for Gareth Bale if he becomes available before next season.
Van Gaal’s first serious assault on the Barclays Premier League title next season will be built on the back of a £100million surge in transfer funds driven by a return to the Champions League and United’s mammoth new kit deal with adidas.
United will net about £50m for returning to Europe and another £75m from the first instalment of the record adidas contract that starts on August 1. With the huge new Premier League TV deal due to kick in a year later and United one of the few clubs in Europe largely untroubled by Financial Fair Play rules, United’s board are happy to spend big this summer.
This means that Van Gaal can pursue his prime summer targets such as Dortmund defender Mats Hummels, PSV midfielder Memphis Depay and Southampton full back Nathaniel Clyne knowing that there will still be money for Bale.
United are also in the market for a world-class centre forward and possibly a goalkeeper if David de Gea decides to leave for Madrid.
United are desperate to keep De Gea and will not consider using him as leverage to get Bale. Any deal for the Welshman will be based on a straight cash offer.United spent heavily last summer with Angel di Maria, Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw taking their outlay above the £100m mark. This year, they could well top that as they look to make up lost ground on Manchester City and Chelsea.
Madrid have not yet signalled their intention regarding Bale but United will head the queue if he does become available. The Spaniards tend to sell one marquee player every summer and United have tracked Bale since he was a teenager at Southampton.
Van Gaal and United chief executive Ed Woodward want to do most of their business before United go on tour in mid-July but Bale could be the exception as Madrid often do their selling in late summer.As for De Gea, United are waiting for the goalkeeper to decide.
With a £200 000-a-week offer on the table, it is understood he is torn between returning to Spain to be with his girlfriend staying two more years in England.
United also want to keep Adnan Januzaj but plan on converting him into a centre forward. The 20-year-old Belgian has played a bit-part since Van Gaal’s arrival but those who have worked with Januzaj at youth level believe he has the game to play as a central striker.
Radamel Falcao looks set to leave this summer, leaving only Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and rookie James Wilson as Van Gaal’s recognised strikers. A move for Burnley’s Danny Ings is being considered but Januzaj will get the chance to convince in pre-season.
Meanwhile, United expect midfielder Tom Cleverley to join Everton permanently when his loan spell at Aston Villa runs out next month and will reluctantly take back Portuguese winger Nani from his loan at Sporting Lisbon, who cannot afford to buy him.
Daily Mail
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