Manchester United Transfer News: Potential January Targets for Louis Van Gaal

Just a week on from the freneticism of Deadline Day, the Manchester United higher-ups would be forgiven for taking a break from the hyperbole that accompanies their moves in the transfer market. Indeed, with the international break puncturing the domestic calendar, a host of the club’s new signings are yet to actually don the iconic red strip for the first time!

But already it seems that the club are isolating targets for the January window and with some stellar names linked with the Red Devils in the press, it’s difficult not to get a little excited about some of these players lining up in the Premier League.

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With that in mind, here's a look at a triumvirate of enticing talents that have been linked with a potential move to Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo Unhappy At Real Madrid

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The Portuguese sensation teased Red Devils supporters last week by claiming he’d love to come back to the club one day, per The Telegraph, and new United signing Angel Di Maria has revealed that he thinks Ronaldo could be on his way out of the Bernabeu soon.

“I don't know how much longer Ronaldo can put up with it at Madrid. I get the impression that he is not very happy,” said Di Maria, per Paul Smith of the Independent. 

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Meanwhile, the player’s agent claims he’s not surprised by the 29-year-old’s comments regarding a United return. “Ronaldo's comments are based on things I am aware of and he is at liberty to divulge them. These comments have not surprised me and certainly not upset me,” said Jorge Mendes.

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Ronaldo has won the box set of titles at Real Madrid, and after spearheading the club’s coveted 10th European Cup triumph last season, there is little left for him to achieve with the capital club. 

His affinity with United is a longstanding and unashamed one, and if there was potential for a deal to be done, you suspect there’d be a willingness from both club and player to push through a transfer. Here’s a few of many reasons why United supporters would be desperate to have him back at Old Trafford:

Still the best player in the world in the eyes of many, Ronaldo’s return to the Premier League would be a boost for both United and the pulling power of the English game. Although he’s a player that sampled comparable success in England to that he’s enjoyed in Spain, you suspect a move back to England could inject fresh impetus into his career and push him on to stratospheric new heights.

Is there a better man to help expedite United's rise back to the Premier League pinnacle?

Juan Mata To Be A Makeweight In Arturo Vidal Switch?

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The Juventus midfielder was linked with a move to Old Trafford throughout the summer, and United could go back in for him in the January window, according to Jamie Anderson of the Express. 

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But this time, they could use Juan Mata as bait for the £40 million-rated Chilean, with Van Gaal reportedly unconvinced by the Spaniard.

For United, this is a switch that, on the face of things, makes a lot of sense. The Dutch boss currently has a surfeit of attacking-midfield options at his disposal, but his squad does lack a physical midfield enforcer in the mould of Vidal. So one intricate midfielder out and one midfield dynamo in would seem to be a logical process.

Here are the kind of qualities Vidal would bring to United’s midfield:

But Mata will feel a little hard-done by if he’s told to sling his hook by the Old Trafford club. After all, he was brought in as a creative midfielder, and when he’s been played in his preferred No. 10 berth, he’s shone, as noted here by Squawka:

Much will depend, you suspect, on how much game time the former Chelsea man receives during the early parts of the season. After being knocked out of the League Cup in embarrassing fashion and with no European commitments, United only have Premier League football to occupy them from now until the transfer window, meaning competition for places will be fierce.

Mata will feel he’s shown what he can do in United red and if he finds that he’s not a stylistic fit for Van Gaal, then a move to a league like Serie A—where the pace is slower but there is a much firmer focus on technical attributes—a massive club like Juventus would suit him down to the ground. Whether or not that could help pave the way for Vidal moving the other way remains to be seen.

French Giants Leading The Way In Kevin Strootman Pursuit

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The Dutch midfielder is a player Van Gaal harbours huge admiration for, but the French champions have stole a march on United in the race for his signature.

According to Jamie Anderson of the Express, Paris Saint-Germain will offer cash plus Adrien Rabiot—an elegant young defensive midfielder who was close to signing for the Giallorossi during the summer—for Strootman, making them the most likely club at this juncture to meet Roma’s £40 million valuation.

Here’s why the 24-year-old midfielder is in such high demand:

According to Anderson’s piece, United delayed making a bid for the player during the summer because of his fitness concerns, but recent reports suggest the player is willing to push for a move to Old Trafford in the mid-season window, per David McDonnell of the Mirror.

Van Gaal sees Strootman as a vital player, and during their time working together with the Netherlands, the former PSV man flourished under his tutelage. You suspect that the prospect of a reunion with Van Gaal will certainly be tantalising for the Roma man, and if both parties remain privy to a deal, this one should still go ahead in January.