Man Utd 'shake hands' on Strootman, eye Spurs star

Manchester United have "shaken hands" on a deal for Kevin Strootman Talksport has announced, claiming that the Dutch midfielder will join the Red Devils at the end of the season, and he is not the only player heading for Old Trafford.

Taking their cue from reports in the Dutch media, Talksport says that the 24-year-old Strootman has been yearning for a move to Manchester for months, even before Louis van Gaal took over the reins as manager. Now, according to the radio station, Van Gaal and Strootman "have shaken hands on the deal" and, providing he makes a full recovery from his recent knee injury, he will make the move from Roma to United in the summer.

In addition, the Daily Mirror reports that Van Gaal is likely to come calling for Spurs' centre-back Jan Vertonghen after Christmas. The Belgium international allegedly wants out of the Lane with the Mirror saying Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is open to a deal but is "unlikely to sell the player for less than £18m".

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Meanwhile the Daily Star says that Edinson Cavani will "reject transfer interest" from the Premier League in January as he looks to establish himself in the Paris Saint-Germain side. The Uruguayan frontman made no secret of his desire for regular game time in his preferred central striking role last season, instead of being played out on the wing to accommodate Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

With Ibrahimovic currently sidelined through injury, Cavani has been granted his wish and as a result the Star says he's "changed his mind about leaving the Ligue 1 champions". The news will come as a blow to Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, all of whom have been circling the South American sharpshooter. "I'm happy at Paris," Cavani told French media, adding: " My mind is set on PSG."

However, there could be better news for the quartet of Premier League clubs with the news, reported in the Daily Express, that Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery has warned midfielder Marco Reus that "there is no place for him" in the Bayern side.

The Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder was tipped to join Bayern, rather than any of his suitors in the Premier League, at the end of the season with the German champions allegedly ready to activate a £20m buyout clause in his contract. But in conversation with German football magazine, Kicker, Ribery said the 25-year-old would struggle to make the starting line up in the Allianz Arena as long as he had anything to do with it.

"Reus is a great player. But I will be around at Bayern for a while, even if I'm turning 32 in a bit," he declared.

According to the Express, the warning will "boost" Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United who are expected to table bids for Reus next summer.

Finally, Portuguese rag O Jogo reports that Arsenal and Liverpool are closing in on Benfica defender Maxi Pereira. The 30-year-old blocker, a bulwark in the Uruguay side for many seasons, has a year left to go on his current contract with Benfica, a fact that hasn't gone unnoticed by the Gunners and the Reds. Unwilling to see Pereira leave on a free transfer next summer, Benfica are likely to sell in the new year. To give credence to their story, O Jogo claims that Benfica have "actively begun to scour the transfer market" for a replacement for the player who arrived in Portugal seven years ago.