Manchester United Have Greater Needs Than Kevin Strootman
The link between Manchester United and Kevin Strootman never seems to have gone away, and Simon Mullock of the Sunday Mirror reported another one this week.
According to the article, the Old Trafford club have been quoted £60 million by Roma for the Netherlands international.
Subsequently, Nadia Carminati of Sky Sports noted that the Italian club's general manager, Mauro Baldissoni, will not be allowing Strootman, who is currently out with a long-term knee injury, to leave.
Baldissoni is quoted as saying:
We can’t wait until Kevin is back on the pitch. We miss him a lot, but he is getting closer to his return.
We are proud that Kevin is part of our squad and he is not for sale.
However, you do not need to be a keen student of the game to realise that a midfielder such as Strootman should be a secondary consideration behind defensive reinforcements for Manchester United in January.
After Mullock's article was published, United let a 3-1 lead slip and crashed to a 5-3 defeat at Leicester City, underlining the issues Louis van Gaal is facing with his back line.
Van Gaal, of course, is well aware of the abilities Strootman possesses after working with him during his time in charge of the Dutch national squad.
However, the Old Trafford boss will be the first to stand up to any over-inflated valuation set by Roma on their player.
Van Gaal will be looking at defensive options in January, the need for which has been highlighted by recent defeats for United. Forcing the price up too far for Strootman is likely to cost the player and Roma.
Believability Meter: High
This is a seemingly never-ending transfer story, one that will provide gossip columns with endless articles until the January transfer window closes.
There is clearly something in it, as it refuses to go away, but Van Gaal will need cash for defensive quality in January rather than paying over the odds to strengthen his midfield.