Man Utd ‘Confident’ They’ve Beaten Arsenal To £25m Midfielder
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The January transfer
window may have slammed shut but clubs will still be working hard
behind the scenes at identifying targets for the summer, so we’ll bring
you all the latest news, gossip and rumours. Today, Man Utd are
confident they can sign Ilkay Gundogan.
Image: Wikimedia
Manchester United are confident they have beaten off stiff competition from the likes of Arsenal and Real Madrid to secure a £25m deal to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan this summer, according the Daily Star.
The 23-year-old is out of contract in
less than 18 months time and speculation has linked with with a move
away from the Westfalenstadion in recent months as talks over an
extension continue to drag.
While reports in Germany claim Dortmund have made the player their final contract offer, the Daily Star believes the former Bundesliga champions will sell this summer if a club meets their £25m valuation.
Manchester United have been strongly linked with the midfielder while Arsenal and Real Madrid are also understood to hold a serious interest should the player decide he wants to try his luck outside of Germany.
However, the Star claim that
David Moyes feels Gundogan is the most likely of his midfield targets to
make the move to Old Trafford this summer and United chiefs are
believed to be ‘confident’ they have already won the race for his
signature.
The German international has seen his
season hampered by a serious back injury that’s restricted him to just 3
appearances all season, and the newspaper suggests that any potential
move would be dependent on him proving he has fully recovered from the
problem.
Gundogan was a key player for the Dortmund side that won the Bundesliga title in 2012 and reached the Champions League final the following year, so it’s been hugely frustrating to see him miss practically the entire campaign through injury.
If he can come back and prove his
fitness during the final months of the season, it looks like a move this
summer is on the cards if he refuses to sign an extension with Dortmund
and he’d make for an excellent addition at either Man Utd or Arsenal.
The defending champions need for a
midfielder is obvious with Michael Carrick now 33, Tom Cleverley failing
to live up to his early promise and Marouane Fellaini struggling for
both form and fitness since his move from Everton, and Gundogan would be
a major coup.
Although Arsenal’s need for a central midfielder is a little less clear, Arsene Wenger
could view Gundogan as a potential long-term replacement for Mikel
Arteta, who turns 32 in March, but it seems that United feel they are
favourites if this reports is to be believed.
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