David Moyes’ quest for a top class midfielder has widened, with new targets emerging over the last 24 hours, while old targets seem increasingly unlikely to don a red shirt by the time the season kicks off in three weeks.
The United manager has reiterated his intention to add one or two world class signing to his squad this summer, however he has found progress extremely hard to come by, with United either snubbed – like in the case of Thiago Alcantara – or categorically told to forget about one of their targets – Barcelona’s stance on Fabregas being a prime example.
According to the Sun, United have finally given up in their pursue of the former Arsenal captain. Having had two offers rejected, United were thought to be considering a third offer in the region of £35m, as they believed Fabregas would be keen to return to the Premier League, having been in and out of the Catalan’s XI.
Alas, reports the tabloid, Fabregas is more than happy to remain at the Camp Nou as an inside source confirmed yesterday:
“Cesc is very flattered by United’s interest and recognises what a great opportunity they offer.
“But it’s only two years since he left Arsenal and he doesn’t want to turn his back on Barcelona so soon.
“It has been a battle trying to dislodge Xavi and Iniesta, or slot in successfully beside them, but he has had his fair share of games and wants even more.”
While it’s worth remembering that the Sun was the same newspaper that claimed Cesc was desperate to join United as little as a week ago, when one considers that Barcelona have already lost Thiago this summer and with Xavi approaching the twilight of his career, Fabregas’ decision is a perfectly logical one.
Having seemingly lost out on Fabregas, even though the Guardian maintains United could still table a third bid, Moyes is ready to move onto his plan B, which many believe should have been his plan A all along. The Times reports that United are considering a £25m offer for Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric “after coming to the reluctant realisation that they are unlikely to secure any of their primary transfer targets”.
The Croatian, whose goal knocked United out of the Champions League last season, had long been on United’s radar before moving to Real Madrid, but Daniel Levy’s stubborn approach and refusal to sell to a Premier League meant the playmaker moved to the Bernabeu last summer for £33m.
Modric, however, failed to establish himself as a regular in Spain and with Madrid poised to table a world-record offer for Gareth Bale, the Spanish giants are thought to be willing to do business.
