Manchester United Transfer News: Why Shinji Kagawa Is Worth the High Price

It's never been more crucial for Manchester United to get serious about compensating for losing out on Eden Hazard.

And it looks like they're doing just that by throwing everything at Shinji Kagawa.

According to The Mirror's David Anderson, the Red Devils have upped their offer to the Japanese midfielder to £18.3 million, a big increase from the £12.5 million that was rejected by Borussia Dortmand last week.

Kagawa, who has one year remaining on his current contract, made it clear to Dortmund that he wouldn't be re-signing with the club. According to ESPN.com, Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said that "some details are still to be confirmed," so the possibility of a deal looks more likely than ever. ESPN.com also reports that Kagawa himself confirmed he'd been in communication with Sir Alex Ferguson about a possible move.

The necessity for Manchester United to sign Kagawa escalated on Monday afternoon, when Hazard—one of the top scoring threats available and the subject of a bidding war among the Red Devils, Manchester City and Chelsea—announced via Twitter his intention to sign with the Blues.

For weeks, there had been speculation that Hazard would opt for the Red Devils.

Ferguson and the Red Devils remain in dire need of a scorer, and Kagawa could be the perfect solution after tallying 13 goals for Dortmund this season—a very appealing number considering none of Manchester United's midfielders scored more than eight goals this year. After missing the boat on Hazard—to the team that won the Champions League, no less—it is essential that Manchester United do whatever it can to keep pace with Chelsea, and if that means paying £18.3 million for Kagawa, then so be it.

Sometimes, it takes a lot of money to stay in contention, and next season, when the Red Devils are managing to hang in there with Chelsea, it will all be worth it.