Manchester United Transfer News: Ross Barkley Interest Makes Little Sense

What plagues Manchester United this season is not a dearth of attacking players. In fact, the squad has a spoil of riches in that regard.

So that's what makes the club's interest in burgeoning Everton star Ross Barkley so confusing. 

Ultimately, it comes down to a very simple conflict—should United be more interested in adding the youngster at a position where they are stacked in the interest of their future, or should they be focused on spending whatever money they have at their disposal to address more immediate needs, like a porous defense?

Let's address the former first. Metro is reporting the club's interest in both Barkley and Seamus Coleman:

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Manchester United are working on a £60million double deal to sign Ross Barkley and Seamus Coleman from Everton, according to reports.

United, who spent big over the summer on the likes of Angel Di Maria, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind and Radamel Falcao, have secure more funding to go on another spree in January.

And reports in Spain say Everton stars Barkley and Coleman are among the top targets, with Louis van Gaal set to give the green light to a £60million offer for the pair.

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The Coleman interest makes a bit more sense, though central defense seems the bigger area of need for United. But Barkley? 

United have two world-class forwards in Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao. Their captain, Wayne Rooney, is occupying the position Barkley would play. Juan Mata is also capable of playing in that role. Angel Di Maria is at his best bombing forward.

Ander Herrera does his best work in the attacking half. Adnan Januzaj is a bright, young attacking talent. Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia can play on the wings in advanced positions, even if they've been utilized in deeper roles this year.

The point is simple—United do not have a need for attacking help this season. Perhaps if the rumours about a potential Mata sale are true, the interest in Barkley would make more sense, though are United really going to give up on a player of Mata's talent after just one year?

It would be a bit odd, to say the least. 

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

No, if United are focused on winning this season, adding Barkley just doesn't, well, add up. Of course, Manchester United may simply see their window to add the talented youngster closing rather quickly.

After all, Manchester City are also rumoured to be on the prowl, to the point that Roberto Martinez felt the need to address that interest.

"It's a rumour and we'll leave it there," Martinez told the Press Association via The Guardian in late September.

"We've spoken enough in the past about potential interest and I always mention the same—we take it as a footballing compliment and we’ll move on."

So yes, United aren't alone in batting their eyelashes toward Barkley.

But at what point does the club have to acknowledge that the primary goal of this season is to return to Champions League football, a tough task with up to seven teams in the league capable of finishing in the top four?

At what point do United have to put the future a bit on the back burner to address the present?

Selling off Mata, adding Barkley and potentially ignoring the key area in need of improvement just doesn't seem to make sense. 

What does make sense is the assumption that Louis van Gaal will continue to alter this squad. He's shown little deference for the team that David Moyes—or Sir Alex Ferguson, for that matter—left him, a philosophy Richard Jolly wrote on for ESPN FC:

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Even Ferguson had accepted an overhaul was required. Now the Scot's legacy lies not on the pitch but, courtesy of the cash-conscious way he built an empire, in the financial muscle that allowed Van Gaal to spend in such extravagant fashion. Consider the Dutchman's most recent side. Only four of the 14 players used against Everton—Robin van Persie, David de Gea, Rafael da Silva and Antonio Valencia—ever appeared under Ferguson.

Three more—Tyler Blackett, Paddy McNair and James Wilson—were at United but yet to debut. Their generation are not Fergie's Fledglings, but Van Gaal's Goslings. A further two—Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata—were signed by Moyes, with the remaining five (Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao, Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind) arriving under Van Gaal. Had Ander Herrera been fit, his signings would have made up a majority of the starting 11.

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Perhaps Van Gaal wants to remove another decision from a predecessor (Mata) and add his own (Barkley). Perhaps this is the only window to do so. Perhaps.

But frankly, if there is the option to wait until after the season to chase Barkley, it seems more advisable.

Van Gaal has shown the tendency to do things his own way, on his own time. He's also proven to be a very smart, capable manager who surely knows his defense is an issue.

It's going to be fascinating to see how he approaches this January window, that much is certain.