Manchester United will not end their pursuit of Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, despite the imminent arrival of German captain Bastian Schweinsteiger.
SEE ALSO:
Man Utd’s INCREDIBLE XI with imminent new signing Bastian Schweinsteiger, Real Madrid SUPERSTAR and David De Gea replacement
Manchester United agree defender deal in time for pre-season tour
Van Persie transfer: Man Utd star’s move to Fenerbahce is done, says club chairman
According to reports in Guardian Sport, manager Louis van Gaal is keen to press ahead with the move for the Frenchman, and plans to sign the midfield duo. The coach would ideally like both deals done by the time the club departs for their pre-season tour of the United States next week.
After relative slow start to the transfer window, it appears United are beginning to flex their financial power and are closing in on a deal for Italian defender Matteo Darmian [via BBC Sport] and it was announced via the club’s official Twitter account on Saturday afternoon that a fee has been agreed with Bayern Munich for Schweinsteiger.
The 30-year-old is set to become the first German player to ever play for the first-team and will be reunited with van Gaal, under whom he played under at the Allianz Arena between 2009-2011.
Schweinsteiger is regarded as one of the best central midfielders in European football, and played a starring role in Brazil last year as Germany were crowned world champions.
However, one note of caution has to be his recent injury record which saw him make just 15 Bundesliga starts last season. However, he did find the back of the net on five occasions and register four assists when he was fit enough to play.
A move to partner him in midfield with French international Schneiderlin is still a prospect, despite the player reportedly favouring a move to rivals Arsenal [via Standard Sport].
van Gaal will need to increase his opening offer of £20 million if he is to land the 25-year-old as the Saints are standing firm on their £25 million valuation of the player [via Telegraph Sport], who helped them secure a seventh placed finish and a Europa League spot last season.
With midfield options now looking sorted, will manager van Gaal now turns his attentions to further strengthening his squad with additions in defensive and attacking areas?