Manchester are set to be dealt a huge blow in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ikay Gundogan. A report in English Tabloid Daily Express claims that Real Madrid are planning to bid £20m for the German star in the upcoming January transfer window. Gundogan however has been a long term target of United but was unavailable in the summer thanks to his major injury. The 23-year-old is expected to return to full fitness this week and the Galacticos are reportedly after his signature.
The news comes a huge surprise and seems far fetched. Real already have exciting central midfielders Isco and Illaramendi warming the bench after the arrival of Toni Kroos (from Bayern Munich) and James Rodriguez (from Monaco) in the summer. Also Sami Khedira is enduring a tough spell on the sidelines. So would Real really go after Gundogan or the Media outlets simply overcooking rumours. Moreover, Borussia wouldn’t want to lose their prized asset after helping him recover from such a long injury layoff.
It is however believed that Dortmund have reportedly valued Gundogan at £20m. But the reigning the European Champions are willing to pay significantly higher than the asking price to keep Manchester United away from the player.
United though aren’t likely to be deterred. they have a sizeable transfer kitty and had spent £151m on five players during the summer. Manager Louis Van Gaal is likely to continue spending in January. the Red Devils are focused to get back to Champions League action after a wretched last term under David Moyes.
United will do well with Gundogan. Capable of playing deep, he and Blind can screen the defense while allowing the more attacking players to barge the opposition up front. So are we going to see United vs Real this time off the pitch? Time will surely have an apt answer.