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28 March 2024

Man Utd transfer latest: Ronaldo and Vidal in January for ultimate dream team

Published
By Football Correspondent with Agencies

Of all the barbs thrown at Manchester United, Louis Van Gaal has responded to a few. One of them was a bullet from Paul Scholes at the time, that United were some way off from being capable of winning the league. Van Gaal asked Scholes to believe.

Now, Scholes has fired again, reported as saying the UK media that Wayne Rooney, Falcao and Robin Van Persie cannot be fit into a system that allows all three to play at the same time. This comes at the end of a busy week for United watchers, given that Arturo Vidal seems to have kept his January move to Old Trafford alive with a Tweet and a picture assuring every one that his knee was fine.

“My knee is perfect. Please stop inventing,” tweeted the Juventus and Chile midfielder who is being seen as the last missing piece in Louis Van Gaal’s new United team.

Then there is Cristiano Ronaldo, who was so sugary sweet in his comments about his beloved Manchester United, that he has basically opened a door for a comeback (so what if Di Maria has the No 7 shirt).

In fact, there is trouble brewing at Real Madrid. President Florentino Perez sought to play down an apparent spat with Ronaldo on Friday as he announced the La Liga club's income had surged above 600 million euros ($778 million) in 2013-14.

The Portugal captain made headlines last Monday when he said the club's transfer dealings in the latest window would probably have been different if he had been in charge.

Real have got off to a faltering start having sold several of the club’s ‘core’ players in the window – Di Maria, Sami Khedira, Xabi Alonso…
Real stuttered in their second La Liga outing at the weekend when they let slip a 2-0 lead and crashed to a 4-2 reverse at Real Sociedad.

Ronaldo wants trophies and if the new-look Madrid team does not suit his style, he may well be the next to bolt. Where to? By his own admission, a return to Manchester United is not out.

So, where would you fit Ronaldo in a team that has Rooney, Falcao and RVP? Is a Rooney for Ronaldo Real-Utd swap brewing for January.

Readers say no Top 4 for Man Utd

A poll by Emirates 24|7 has revealed that readers still fear for Man Utd’s chances of a top four finish.

When asked which of these EPL teams will finish outside the Top 4 this season: Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Everton and Spurs, United drew the most votes with 45 per cent.

Readers believe Liverpool (9%) and Arsenal (10%) are the most assured of a top four finish. In fact at the time of running the poll, participants gave both Everton (14%) and Tottenham Hotspur (22%) a better chance of a top finish than United.

Kevin Strootman

We are still in September, but the glow of the Radamel Falcao and Angel di Maria signings in the just shut transfer window will keep United fans going until January.

That is when the midfielders are set to arrive. Arturo Vidal, Nigel de Jong and the man who is believed to have kept those two from happening this transfer window - Roma’s Kevin Strootman.

All the virals and vines are about how United can essentially field a team of nine strikers, Phil Jones and David De Gea.

So the concerns about Louis van Gaal’s defence and midfield remain – th coming of Daley Blind notwithstanding.

Van Gaal seems eager to look at Dutch players.

This is what happened in terms of Holland’s brightest and best from the World Cup:

  • Daily Blind to Manchester United - 17.5 million euro
  • Leroy Fer to Queens Park Rangers - 10 million euro
  • Bruno Martins Indi to FC Porto - 7.7 million euro
  • Michel Vorm to Tottenham Hotspur – 6.3 million euro
  • Stefan de Vrij to Lazio – 8.5 million euro
  • Daryl Janmaat to Newcastle United - 6 million euro
  • Jonathan de Guzman to Napoli - 7.5 million euro

This really only leaves De Jong and Strootman open for Van Gaal, and come January, Ed Woodward can continue to splash the cash. It seems unlikely Juventus and United are going to agree a fee on Vidal though his is one name that simply refuses to go away.

What's that, Rooney?

It is not the kind of comment you would associate with Manchester United’s captain. Speaking in a press conference ahead of England's friendly match against Norway, Rooney said: “I don't know how it will affect my role, you have to ask the manager.”

What was he talking about? The signing of Radamel Falcao.

That comment will put several clubs on alert again, not least Chelsea and Jose Mourinho. Maybe, Rooney was just being frank. Maybe, this January will tell us exactly what he meant.

Falcao, Blind

Manchester United made a sensational double swoop on transfer deadline day to sign Colombia striker Radamel Falcao on loan from Monaco and Holland international Daley Blind from Ajax.

Blind's arrival, in a £14 million ($23 million, 17 million euros) transfer, had been expected, but the signing of prolific 28-year-old frontman Falcao was a major coup for the ailing English giants.

"I am delighted to be joining Manchester United on loan this season," Falcao told the United website. "Manchester United is the biggest club in the world and is clearly determined to get back to the top."

United are reported to have agreed to pay Monaco a fee of around 10 million euros ($13.1 million) to secure Falcao's services for the season, with an option to make the deal permanent for 55 million euros.

Falcao, who missed the World Cup with a serious knee injury, was whisked into United's Carrington training ground to undergo a medical examination on Monday evening, with the club confirming the deal in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

United paid a British-record £59.7 million to sign Angel di Maria from Real Madrid last week and their spending spree continued with the capture of Blind.

The 24-year-old, who can play in defence or midfield, starred as the Netherlands reached the World Cup semi-finals under new United manager Louis van Gaal.

"It is a real honour to sign for Manchester United," said Blind, who is the son of former Netherlands and Ajax star Danny Blind.
"Louis van Gaal is a tremendously talented coach. I have worked with him at Ajax and also for the Netherlands national team and I cannot wait to work with him at the biggest club in the world."

Record expenditure

The deals for Falcao and Blind took United's close-season spending to around £150 million as the 20-time English champions look to rebuild following a disappointing seventh-place finish last season.

With Falcao in line to form a star-studded attack alongside Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez were both allowed to leave Old Trafford.

England forward Welbeck, who came through the youth ranks at United, joined Arsenal on a long-term contract for a reported fee of around £16 million.

Mexico striker Hernandez, nicknamed 'Chicharito' ('Little Pea'), was loaned to Real Madrid after scoring 59 goals in 154 appearances for United.

Meanwhile, youngsters Nick Powell and Tom Lawrence joined Leicester City -- Powell on loan, Lawrence on a permanent deal -- and defender Michael Keane was loaned to Burnley.

United's dealings dominated the headlines on a day when English clubs took their close-season spending soaring past £800 million -- a Premier League record.

United's cross-town rivals Manchester City parted company with Micah Richards and Alvaro Negredo.

Youth-team graduate Richards joined Fiorentina on a season-long loan with an option to buy, ending a 13-year association with the club.

Spain striker Alvaro Negredo moved to Valencia in a similar deal, only a year after arriving from Sevilla in a £20 million transfer.

Hull sign quartet

Southampton signed Belgium defender Toby Alderweireld from Atletico Madrid on loan and also paid around £10 million to bring Senegalese winger Sadio Mane to the club from Red Bull Salzburg.

I am delighted that we have been able to bring Toby to the club," said Southampton manager Ronald Koeman.
"He is a strong defender and is also very good at building up the play when we play out from the back."

On a busy day, Hull City paid a club-record fee of around £9.5 million to buy Uruguay striker Abel Hernandez from Palermo, signed Mohamed Diame from West Ham United, and completed loan moves for Southampton playmaker Gaston Ramirez, and Newcastle United winger Hatem Ben Arfa.

Tottenham Hotspur signed France Under-21 midfielder Benjamin Stambouli from Montpellier for around £4.7 million, sold Sandro to Queens Park Rangers for around £10 million, and loaned Lewis Holtby to Hamburg.

Brazilian midfielder Sandro's move to Loftus Road reunited him with former Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, who also brought in Niko Kranjcar on loan but saw a move for Lassana Diarra collapse.

Crystal Palace broke their transfer record to sign Scotland midfielder James McArthur from Wigan Athletic and also signed defender Zeki Fryers from Spurs and striker Kevin Doyle on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Meanwhile, Sunderland completed loan moves for Liverpool centre-back Sebastian Coates and Inter Milan midfielder Ricardo Alvarez.

Deadline day, as it happened

Tell us something we don't know; but from the people at ESPN: Manchester United are still actively trying to sign a centre-midfielder before the transfer window shuts tonight.

It won’t all be super stars today for United fans. After days of speculation and links, turns out that Norway’s wonderkid Martin Odegaard - he has already played for Norway and is only 15 – will be one of the new arrivals. So much for Van Gaal’s belief in youth not being shaken.

William Carvalho has confirmed that he doesn't plan to leave Sporting Lisbon now to join Manchester United or Arsenal, Daily Mail reported.

The midfielder announced his decision just before the transfer windows closes tonight.

Mirror said earlier that United also want to add William Carvalho before deadline and are willing to pay £23m to Sporting.

Ok, there are a lot of Twitter accounts out there claiming a lot of stuff, but we've done the hard work and scanned and studied and whittled them down to the best and the most reliable. Here are some teasers from some of the solids:

I can confirm that #MUFC are still looking to sign players. Another bid has been submitted. Details to break soon. Stay tuned.

Very exciting day for you Manchester United fans. Falcao isn't just the only deal United are going for. Multiple deals underway!

Spare a thought for those leaving United. Like Javier Hernandez, a faithful servant if ever there was one. The striker has touched down in Madrid and will sign a loan deal for Real Madrid. At least he gets to play Champions League football, then.

See this guy's face in the picture here: That's the general reaction of United fans right now. They cannot believe it!

Why would Radamel Falcao come to United, giving up Champions League football? For the same reason Daley Blind, Angel Di Maria and Marco Rojo came... er, we don't know yet.

After copping much flak, United CEO Ed Woodward is making his presence felt now.


Pic credit: Official Agent @ Twitter

Now the confirmations are coming faster than we can handle, but remember where you heard it first?

You will need to scroll down a bit for the answer to that, but it's now a done deal. Falcao will be a Red Devil for €65m.

has arrived at Manchester airport, courtesy Official Agent @ Twitter.

Four Colombian journalists in the last hour that have said Falcao will join Manchetser United according to Twitter @ TrustyTransfers.

Tuttosport, the Italian guys who are pretty spot on with their calls have confirmed United are going for Vidal. Their latest tweet: Yes, there Vidal. And United will try again! (that's Google translate at work). Louis van Gaal sent scouts to Chievo v Juventus on Saturday to watch Arturo Vidal, according to Tuttosport. That is the hottest link we have right now to keep the Vidal dream alive for United fans.

As the UK press wake up and the deadline day drama really kicks in on the island, most major outlets believe the Vidal deal is not dead. It could all boil down to price - £40m is the final day, final price.

One from the exes

So, while we are all getting into it, as it were, from the office, at home, at your local or on your smartphone, here's a classic to help pass the time, from two ex-United class acts, and one soon to become ex-United class act.

Lest we forget who else will not be at Old Trafford by the end of the day, in the outbox are:

  • Danny Welbeck – Spurs or Arsenal.
  • Javier Hernandez – Real Madrid
  • Tom Cleverley - Aston Villa, Hull
  • Anderson – Anyone?
  • Nick Powell - Leicester

Saris Bello breaks Falcao (and we told you so)

Meanwhile, Mark Ogden bowls a googly @MOgdenTelegraph So it begins...@MattMc_7: Private jet due in Manchester from Nice, France later this afternoon. Could this be Radamel Falcao? #MUFC #MCFC.

DirecTV’s Saris Bello is claiming Manchester City have been ruled out of a move for Falcao due to financial fair play... and the 28-year-old will join United today.

Why should we care about Saris Bello? Manchester’s own thepeoplesperson.com writes: “There’s a few interesting points to note about Saris Bello. She has known Falcao for a long time and refers to him more as a friend than anything.”

Also Falcao follows her on Twitter and they are personal friends on Facebook, where Saris has also reported the story.

Top Italian sports journalist Tancredi Palmeri who well, is one of the sources of the Falcao to United reports stands by his tweet.

He has tweeted at @tancredipalmeri : “Re news in Colombia that Falcao signed for Manchester United,what I know is that Mufc did bid and he has to decide”.

Falcao coming means Robin Van Persie can have his much-talked about knee op, which might bode well for United in the long run.


Meet the girl who has broken the Falcao story: Saris Bello (Pic: Saris Bello @ Twitter)

The Guardian seeking to dampen all the ‘done deals’, open their coverage with writing that: United’s manager, Louis van Gaal, has not ruled out a late move for Arturo Vidal of Juventus or any further strengthening before the deadline despite high-ranking sources at United claiming there is a “very low probability” of more signings.

The Telegraph provides the sobering voice of reason amidst all the craziness this morning. Kevin Strootman is the reason why neither Vidal nor Falcao, nor anyone else is likely to come to Old Trafford. Though Nigel de Jong’s name is not being completely discarded yet.

Vidal or Carvalho?

Today is the day. In a few hours from now, the deals will be done and until January, the team will be set. Expect it to get really frantic in the leavings and the coming-ins section as well.

Early news is Arturo Vidal is looking unlikely, with Portuguese newspaper 'O Jogo' reporting that United representatives are expected to be in Lisbon today to try and sign William Carvalho one last time today.

Remember that Carvalho is also a Chelsea and Arsenal target.

As for the Falcao rumours, it is unlikely Louis Van Gaal wants another striker - given that he is trying his best to empty his larder of what he sees as a surplus of No 9s and 10s.

So where would Falcao fit in? Nope, we are going to stick our heads out and say Falcao to United is as unlikely as Messi to United.

Adios, Chicharito

What do Real Madrid see in Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez that Louis Van Gaal does not? Van Gaal needs to be careful that he does not sweep away the gold with the dust. On transfer day deadline, however, reports are that Carlo Ancelotti wants the Mexican striker, who is also being pursued by Juventus. Loan with an option to buy is how this deal is likely to go down.

Early reports from the UK are there is likely to be as much activity in terms of players leaving Old Trafford today, as there is hope that some will still come in. All eyes are on Danny Welbeck, with Everton now reported to be in the running to sign the striker.

Manchester United will look to sign Arturo Vidal as the transfer clock winds down tomorrow. Italian newspaper Tuttosport reports that there is only a £5m difference between the offer given by United and what Juventus want.

Given the amount of money already spent and United's terrible start to the season, £5m seems a paltry amount.

A Blind Red Devil

As the countdown clock winds down, the news today is that Manchester United have agreed a fee to take Daley Blind to Old Trafford.

The club posted on their official Twitter account: BREAKING: #mufc has reached agreement with Ajax to sign Daley Blind, subject to a medical and personal terms.

Dutch newspapaers splashed the news across their pages reporting that Ajax has signed a deal with Man Utd, putting the transfer sum at 17.5 million euro, according to 'Volkskrant'.

The Dutch papers says the contract is for four years with the possibility of a one-year extension. Blind will not play for Ajax tomorrow against FC Gronigen.

The son of former Dutch international defender Danny Blind, Daley impressed at the World Cup and played a key role as Van Gaal's side took third place behind Germany and Argentina.

A product of the famed Ajax youth academy, he can play in a variety of positions, and is familiar with the 3-4-1-2 playing system that Van Gaal has introduced at Old Trafford.

That versatility is attractive to Van Gaal, who has seen his new side make a stumbling start to the season with a home loss to Swansea City and a draw at Sunderland in the league followed by a disastrous 4-0 League Cup loss to third-division Milton Keynes Dons.

The Mirror reports the deal is worth £14million. The 24-year-old, who plays for Ajax, is deperately needed by United boss Louis van Gaal and is set to agree personal terms over the weekend.

Marc Overmars director of football at Ajax speaking in Dutch daily 'De Telegraaf' had said: "Only if the absolute highest price is being paid a transfer would be ‘discussed’. Daley’s agents know how we feel about it right now.”

Angel Di Maria

Manchester United have agreed a British record transfer fee of 59.7 million pounds ($99 million) to secure Angel di Maria from Real Madrid and are set to announce his transfer officially on Tuesday, British media reported.

The Argentina winger arrived in Manchester on Monday and would have a medical test later on Tuesday, British newspapers said.
The transfer fee outstrips the 50 million pounds English Premier League rivals Chelsea paid Liverpool for Spain striker Fernando Torres in 2011.
United declined comment.

Di Maria cost Real 20 million pounds from Benfica in 2010 and he was a key part of the team that won the club's 10th European Cup last term but he was omitted from the squad for the Spanish Super Cup last week.

The 26-year-old turned down a new deal at the Bernabeu and Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said on Sunday he had bade farewell to players and staff.

Di Maria's signing would provide a boost for Louis van Gaal-coached United, who have taken only one point from their opening two games of the Premier League season.