Over two weeks into the January transfer window now and Manchester United are still yet to bring in any squad reinforcements despite needing to strengthen in a few areas.
By nature, Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal has managed to temporarily divert attentions away from snapping up sought-after new arrivals given United’s 0-1 victory at the home of their bitter rivals Liverpool yesterday afternoon but the focus will surely switch back to new additions now.
One man who always seems to be linked with a transfer to England is Paris Saint-Germain’s Ezequiel Lavezzi who is yet again in the rumours of late.
With the Manchester Evening News reporting that the experienced Argentine international would only cost £6 million given he is in the last year of his contract at the Parc Des Princes, a few of our Red Devils regulars agree that he’d be a positive signing this month.
While Wayne Rooney has been looking like his old self in recent weeks, it is only really he and Anthony Martial who can be considered out-and-out forwards and although Ezequiel Lavezzi is a half measure considering he’s played as a left winger for PSG, he could still play through the middle as a last resort.
But say United manage to do a deal for Lavezzi this month. Who else could be following the 30-year-old to Old Trafford?
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Click on the image below to reveal the five players who could follow Ezequiel Lavezzi to Manchester United this month.
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Toni Kroos
While the Toni Kroos to Manchester United rumours looked premature last week, the story continues to rumble on this with The Independent claiming that Real Madrid actually want to sanction a Red Devils deal for the German international this month.
The sub plot is that Real Madrid are reportedly eager to land Paris Saint-Germain’s Edinson Cavani before their transfer ban is imposed because otherwise, they’d be left short up top if anything happened to Cristiano Ronaldo or Karim Benzema and therefore, Kroos’ sale would raise the necessary funds.
The only thing is that surely PSG wouldn’t commission the sales of both Lavezzi and Cavani this month but nevertheless, the Kroos one is an interesting rumour to watch and maybe it can happen in the summer if not this January.
Adrien Rabiot
He’s long been linked with Arsenal but it could actually be Manchester United that end up landing Paris Saint-Germain’s Adrien Rabiot – well according to The Mirror anyway!
Rabiot’s desire for regular first team football has been overstated a hundred times but the report claims that £21.4 million could see the deal done this month with the uncapped Frenchman expected to grow into a top player in the coming years.
Now while Manchester United significantly moved to strengthen their midfield options with the capture of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin, surely Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick don’t have long-term careers left at Old Trafford and therefore, you can see why another younger midfield solution such as Rabiot is being sought.
James Rodriguez
The news still probably falls into the knee-jerk category of transfer rumours but Metro are claiming a Manchester United bid for Real Madrid’s James Rodriguez is imminent amidst his unhappiness at the Bernabeu.
Hardly a favourite under Rafael Benitez, Zinedine Zidane has also not given the Colombian international any immediate reassurances that he’ll be in his Los Blancos starting eleven long-term either.
The star of the 2014 World Cup of course, James is undoubtedly a marquee name but for Manchester United to land him this month, they’d have to stump up an eye-watering £64.7 million according to the reports.
Given Real Madrid’s current situation as mentioned on the Toni Kroos slide, raising funds seems to be the order of the day in the Spanish capital at the moment and if the German international isn’t sold, perhaps this man might be.
Ricardo Rodriguez
This rumour has gone quiet in recent days but back on January 9th, The Independent claimed Manchester United were lining up a £30 million bid for Wolfsburg’s outstanding left back Ricardo Rodriguez.
The Swiss international has been highly rated in the Bundesliga for a little while now and given Luke Shaw is out for the season, not to mention Marcos Rojo usually missing through injury, you can see why somebody else is being chased.
To bring in a top quality solution such as Rodriguez would potentially hamper Luke Shaw’s immediate prospects of getting back in the team post-injury but Rodriguez can also play on the left wing and is a player surely destined for bigger things than Wolfsburg despite their continued improvement.
Alexandre Pato
We’ve all become familiar with the name Alexandre Pato again by the bar in recent weeks with not a single day going by without the former golden boy of Brazilian football being linked with a switch to England.
Chelsea are the hot favourites for his signature right now if you believe what you read in the press but on January 15th, The Indepdenent claimed United are now also serious about a proposed transfer.
With the player 26-year-old right now, Pato could still have plenty to offer in the peak years of his career although a transfer would be seen as something of a gamble with the Brazilian having returned to his homeland with his tail between his legs previously.
But as we’ve mentioned before, United’s attacking ranks desperately need reinforcing and with top quality striking options thin on the ground in the market, banking on Pato to come good might be a decent plan B.
