Manchester United have agreed a £20m deal for Bayern Munich midfielder and German international Toni Kroos, according to reports on today’s backpages which, quite frankly, seem too good to be true.
Kroos has been on United’s radar for a long while and United were thought to have approached both Bayern and Kroos’ agent after the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final in April even though there seemed to be no valid reason for the 24-year-old to leave the Bavarian giants.
Many felt Kroos was the latest in an ever-growing list of footballers to use United’s attention to strengthen his bargaining position at his current club in a bid to command improved financial terms on his new deal, given his current contract expires at the end of next season and Kroos is yet to find an agreement with Bayern.
United, however, have seemingly clinched a deal worth around £20m for the German international, who will become one of Louis Van Gaal’s first signing, at least according to the Daily Mail. While it’d make sense for Bayern to sell Kroos this summer rather than running the risk of losing him for free in 12 month time, the fee reported by the Mail looks ludicrously low for a player of Kroos’ abilities and, given the source’s reputation, it might be prudent not to pop the champagne just yet.
The deal for Kroos was apparently agreed when David Moyes was still in charge, which means the 24-year-old should be even more eager to join United now, given he flourished under Louis Van Gaal during the Dutchman’s spell in charge of Bayern Munich and given Van Gaal’s football philosophy is much more appealing than Moyes’.
Van Gaal, the report continues, has given his blessing to Kroos’ arrival and, even more bizarrely, could turn to his former club again, in a bid to lure Arjen Robben away from the Allianz Arena.
If Kroos joining United sounds far-fetched and at least very premature, the rumours linking Robben with a move to United are simply ridiculous, given the Dutchman is a pivotal figure in Pep Guardiola’s side and he has just signed a new three-year deal, not to mention that at 30 years of age, his reselling value would be non-existent.
Granted, Robben has thrived under Van Gaal in the Holland set-up and the former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager was responsible for bringing the winger to the Allianz Arena, but the chances of Robben joining him at United remain incredibly slim.
Dan
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