Manchester United Transfer News: Bastian Schweinsteiger Would Be Good Addition

David Moyes is continuing the pursuit of Barcelona star Cesc Fabregas, but at least the Manchester United manager has a plan if things go south.

Simon Mullock of the Mirror reports that if the Red Devils fail to land Fabregas with a third and final bid, Moyes will turn his attention to Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger. Mullock writes that even though Schweinsteiger is older—he’s 29 years old—he’ll still command around £25 million.

It seems highly unlikely that Moyes is going to get his hands on Fabregas, based on what Barcelona manager Gerardo Martino is saying about the star’s availability, according to Jack de Menezes of The Independent:

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I would prefer that Cesc stays with us. In fact I’ll be bold enough to say that he is going to stay. This isn’t me being over-confident just what I hope will happen.

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It appears this case is closed. Moyes is going to have to look elsewhere for his first signing of the summer—unless he probably won’t have the backing of the Manchester United faithful to start the year. He hasn’t done much of anything since getting the job, and that’s not going to fly with the fanbase. He has to bring at least one notable name to Old Trafford.

Even though Moyes has wasted his time trying to get Fabregas to come to Old Trafford, Schweinsteiger would still be a star worth bidding for. He would improve the team’s chances of repeating as Premier League champions and would take some of the pressure off Moyes' back to land a big-name player.

Mullock writes that with the new signings of Thiago Alcantara and Mario Gotze, Schweinsteiger could have to fight for a spot on the pitch this season. He also notes how the midfielder has stated he doesn’t want to play in a tactical formation that includes a pair of defensive midfielders.

Schweinsteiger might not get everything he wants, but he’d definitely have a spot on the pitch with Manchester United should he eventually come to the Red Devils. Moyes has the financial means to add a midfielder who is a great passer and can also put the ball in the back of the net every once in a while.

Schweinsteiger scored seven goals and had three assists for Bayern Munich this past season in 27 Bundesliga matches, according to WhoScored.com.

Moyes can’t afford to head into the season without making a move this summer, especially if Schweinsteiger is up for grabs. Arsenal and Chelsea would be interested in acquiring him as well, per Mullock. It would be an absolute disaster if the Red Devils manager failed to get him and one of the club’s top rivals did.

Moyes should realize that there’s no chance Barcelona lets him have Fabregas. That being said, he needs to shift his focus on adding other impact players who can help Manchester United, such as Schweinsteiger.

 

All statistics in this article were obtained via WhoScored.com unless otherwise noted.