Van Gaal to raid Southampton and Burnley with £150m war chest
Published:
Manchester United will keep faith with manager Louis van Gaal even if the Red Devils fail to qualify for the Champions League.
That is according to reports which also suggest the Dutchman will be given a further £150m to invest in his squad, a budget that could see Southampton and Burnley part with their biggest assets.
Van Gaal is a known admirer of Nathaniel Clyne and with Rafael da Silva underwhelming this year a big-money move for the England man has been mooted.
And, with Radamel Falcao’s stock falling so far he now can’t get 90 minutes for United’s development side, Van Gaal has earmarked Burnley’s Danny Ings, who would cost around £5m, as the Colombian’s replacement.
With United struggling for form this season, however, the manager’s recruitment process is unlikely to end there, with a centre-back and a central midfielder also on the shopping list.
Mats Hummels remains on the wish list but with Borussia Dortmund finally picking up form in the Bundesliga and the World Cup winner also on a host of other top club’s radars the chances of signing the 26-year-old now appear slim, especially if a top four finish is not delivered.
A more likely purchase would be Athletic Bilbao’s’ 20-year-old centre back Aymeric Laporte. The Frenchman has put in a number of dominant displays since stepping up from the B team in 2012.
The youngster has a £32m release clause in his contract but after negotiating the deal that saw Ander Herrera make the same move last year Van Gaal will be confident of landing his man.
United are next in action against Tottenham Hotspur and according to the betting Van Gaal’s men will bounce back from the FA Cup defeat to Arsenal, with a win for the hosts priced at 5/6.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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