Man Utd warned off £60m Pogba, Arsenal eye Chambers
Juventus slap massive price tag on United old boy, as Van Gaal lines up summer targets
It's a Monday Manchester United special with the papers packed full of rumours concerning the Reds Devils as Louis van Gaal prepares to take the reigns of the fallen giants. First up is the Daily Star's claim that Juventus have told United: you can have Paul Pogba back – as soon as you've coughed up £60m.
That's likely to go down as well as a David Moyes calendar at Old Trafford considering that Pogba left United for the Italian club two years ago for nothing.
The 21-year-old Frenchman never got Alex Ferguson's juices going and he was allowed to leave United on a free when his contract expired in the summer of 2012. Since then Pogba has shone in the Serie A and United manager Van Gaal believes he can reinvigorate the Red Devils. Juventus, however, rate the French firecracker highly and the Star claims that their outrageous price tag is designed to end United's interest, "which it almost certainly will".
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Meanwhile the Daily Mail says that Van Gaal is pestering the United board to sanction a triple swoop for German stars Mats Hummels, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Muller. Apparently van Gaal, whose last assignment before assuming the reins at Old Trafford is to oversee Holland's World Cup campaign, will try and make contact with the trio in Brazil.
But as the Mail points out, all three moves are "fraught with problems". First, Borussia Dortmund don't want to sell Hummels, while the Bayern Munich pair of Muller and Schweinstiger will be "difficult to prise" from the German champions because of existing contacts. Muller might be the best bet for United with the 24-year-old said to feel "marginalised" by coach Pep Guardiola and therefore perhaps susceptible to a tempting offer from England.
The Daily Mirror says that Van Gaal is also eyeing up Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal. Netherlands must play Chile in the group stage of the tournament and when Van Gaal was asked about the South Americans, he revealed: "Chile have very dangerous players... I always wanted to buy Vidal when he was at Bayer Leverkusen but he went to Juventus."
That admission has sparked talk of a £40m move for Vidal this summer, says the paper.
One player who United are said to be losing interest in is Southampton and England defender Luke Shaw. The 18-year-old, who landed in Brazil with the Three Lions World Cup squad on Sunday, has long been linked to United, but the Daily Express claims that Van Gaal believes the experience of Barcelona's Jordi Alba would be better suited to Old Trafford. The paper says that van Gaal has a transfer chest of £100m and a large chunk of that will be offered to Barcelona. But will they sell? No, reckons the Express, with new Barcelona coach Luis Enrique "keen to keep the full-back".
In the blue half of the city meanwhile, Vincent Kompany is poised to sign an extension with the Sky Blues ending rumours linking him with a move to Barcelona. The big Belgian defender is currently contracted until 2017 but according to Goal.com the Premier League champions will offer him a two year extension and a wage hike from his rather meagre existing salary of £140,000 a week
Finally, the Sunday People claims that Arsenal have identified the man to replace Bacary Sagna – Southampton defender Calum Chambers. Gunners gaffer Arsene Wenger is reported to have sent scouts to watch the teenager in action for England Under 19s and the reports he received were so favourable an offer will be made to the Saints shortly. The People says that the 19-year-old Chambers only signed a new contract with Southampton last year so the fee Arsenal will have to pay is likely to be "substantial".
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