The race to sign Sami Khedira has taken another twist with the news that Manchester United have now signalled their interest in the 27-year-old Real Madrid midfielder.
Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have been setting the pace to date in the transfer stakes but according to the Daily Star United "have become the latest team" to throw their hat into the ring. The paper describes the German World Cup winner as "unsettled" in the Spanish capital, and the news that a club not good enough to qualify for the Champions League is on his tail will surely only further destablise Khedira.
Arsenal and Chelsea have purportedly been working on lucrative packages to lure the defensive playmaker to England in the new year but the Star says that United manager Louis van Gaal is quietly confident of enticing Khedira to Old Trafford with an offer of £10m, above Real’s asking price of £9m. Apparently Van Gaal has turned his attention to Khedira after baulking at the £30m fee demanded by Roma for Dutchman Kevin Strootman. As a result, says the Star, the hefty price-tag has "prompted Van Gaal to look for a cheaper midfield option" – and that option is the man already being pursued by some of England’s finest.
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Despite not covering themselves in glory since his arrival United have also reportedly agreed a deal to make Radamel Falcao's stay at Old Trafford a permanent one. According to the Daily Mail they have thrashed out personal terms with the Colombian striker and agreed a fee of £43.5m with his parent club Monaco. Presumably, though, United will now be expecting him to start scoring goals.
In other news with Arsenal’s midfielders dropping like footballing flies could the Gunners be planning a New Year bid for Croatian midfield maestro Marcelo Brozovic? Described as a "starlet" by the Daily Express, on account of being 21, Brozovic has been wowing the crowds for Dinamo Zagreb this season and rumours have emerged in recent weeks that the Gunners could be poised to table a £3m bid for the Dalmatian dynamo even though he’s under contract until 2019.
According to website Goal.com Lukas Podolski is edging closer to an exit from the Emirates. The Germany international has seen just 27 minutes of action for the Gunners in the Premier League season and that’s allegedly led Podolski to consider his future in north London. Goial.com says that Wolfsburg and Juventus are "both keen to acquire his signature" and the fact that Danny Welbeck has settled in so well since arriving last month from Liverpool has caused the German further concern.
In an interview with RTL Television, Podolski dropped his clearest hint yet that unless he starts getting regular game time he might be forced to look elsewhere in the New Year. "I am a full-blooded player, a street player and I love competition," explained the German frontman. "If I don’t have that competition every weekend then a change must occur." Pressed on whether that change meant a new club, Podolski replied: "It is certainly something one has to think about."
