Manchester United Transfer News: Marouane Fellaini Sale Wanted by Louis Van Gaal

New Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is reportedly eager to sell on midfielder Marouane Fellaini ahead of the start of the new season.

The Belgian was bought from Everton for £27 million last summer by previous boss David Moyes, but he failed to perform at United, and Van Gaal wants rid of him, per Ian Ladyman in the Daily Mail:

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It is understood that Van Gaal has told associates Fellaini is ‘not a United type of player’ and has instructed chief executive Ed Woodward to sell him before the season starts.

Old Trafford sources have revealed this week that Van Gaal has been quite clear about who he wants and doesn’t want and has told Woodward already.

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Van Gaal is currently in Brazil managing the Dutch national team at the World Cup but will take the reigns at Old Trafford when the tournament is over.

The purchases of Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw have already been confirmed as the Old Trafford outfit attempt to rebuild their squad after a torrid 2013-14 season, which saw them finish seventh in the Premier League.

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Fellaini—also currently in Brazil as part of the Belgium squad that has reached the quarter-finals—is clearly not part of Van Gaal's plans after failing to impress last season.

In 16 Premier League appearances he scored no goals and provided just one assist, per WhoScored.com, while Alan Smith in The Telegraph is critical of his defensive skills in a deep-lying midfield role: "It is from a defensive point of view that Van Gaal might ask questions of a player who doesn’t naturally see danger when asked to backtrack." 

Speaking during the World Cup, Fellaini insisted he wanted to prove his worth at United, per Alex Fisher on Goal.com:

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Everybody knows my club season was one to forget. I'm the same Marouane. United signed me one year ago. There have been some positives and some negatives, like the bad injury I picked up. Also, our team didn't quite click into place. But now we have a new manager, we'll see what happens next season. In the meantime, I'm concentrating on my national team.

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United are unlikely to get anywhere near the £27 million they paid for the 26-year-old last summer—which seemed too high back then—because his reputation has plummeted following his poor performances.

Previous reports suggested the club were prepared to listen to offers in the region of £15 million, per ESPN:

This would be a huge loss of money for United. However, if Van Gaal does not want him any longer, it seems very likely that he will be moved along in the transfer window.  

The 62-year-old Dutchman clearly has very specific plans for United's revival, and if Fellaini does not feature in those, he has no future at Old Trafford.