According to a report in the Telegraph, Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has been assured that “substantial funds” are available for him to spend in the January transfer window.
Despite spending £150 million during the summer, van Gaal and United did not buy a world class center half, and now it looks like they will address their biggest need next month.
United’s defense has been exposed time and time again this season and the United boss knows that if they are to eventually close the gap to Chelsea and Manchester City that they need an an elite-level centre-back. This is something they should have done in the summer following the departures of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, however, Van Gaal opted against signing a quality centre-back, a decision he must regret, especially with Man United looking timid in defence.
United have been linked with the likes of Mats Hummels, Ron Vlaar nd Nicolas Otamendi and I would expect one of these names to arrive in January, with another world class defender arriving next summer as van Gaal looks to strengthen his weakest area.
But don’t expect United to focus just on fixing their defence as they are being strongly linked with a £50 million double swoop for Benfica midfielders Enzo Perez and Nicolas Gaitan. United came close to signing Perez during the summer transfer window before the midfielder penned a new deal to stay in Portugal, whilst Gaitan was linked with a move during Sir Alex Ferguson’s reign.
Adding a top defender plus the two Benfica players could cost United another £100 million in transfer fees in January. An eye watering number, but a testament to United’s financial wealth as they can do that, without Champions League revenue, and still meet Uefa’s Financial Fair Play regulations!