Manchester United Transfer News: Latest on Gareth Bale and Top January Targets

Things are slowly coming together at Manchester United, and while the club are using financial power rather than academy products to get back to the top of the world game, the only fact that matters is that they’re heading in the right direction.

Will we ever see another Class of ’92 again? Maybe not; but will we see United lift the Premier League and Champions League trophies in the next 10 years? Undoubtedly.

Such is the nature of football that whoever carries the most zeroes always has a chance of success, and as the January transfer window approaches, United will once again be looking to use their financial power to good effect, starting with a certain Gareth Bale.

Gareth Bale

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Welsh wizard Gareth Bale only made the switch from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid last summer, but it seems that Manchester United are already searching for a way to get him out of the Bernabeu exit door.

According to Spanish media outlet Fichajes.net, reported via Metro, United are looking to launch a January bid for the forward, with a fee of around £90 million reportedly acceptable to both parties.

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Isco’s recent run of impressive form has put Bale’s Real Madrid first-team place under threat, and that’s something that Louis van Gaal’s men are looking to capitalise on, but they shouldn’t be so confident of making the move happen.

Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has played down the rumour, saying that when the Welshman returns from injury, he’ll be back in the side—reported via ESPN’s Nicholas Rigg:

While the story may well have given United fans a momentary dose of euphoria, it’s safe to say that Bale is enjoying life in Madrid, and likewise Madrid is enjoying life with Bale.

For £90 million and a reported wage packet of £300,000, the Red Devils are better off looking elsewhere, and bolstering their back line should be priority No. 1 for January.

Joao Miranda

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Standing elsewhere is Atletico Madrid centre-back Joao Miranda, who has quickly forged himself into one of La Liga’s most solid defenders in recent years.

Miranda was linked to a number of Premier League clubs in the recent summer transfer window but was quick to insist that he was happy in the Spanish capital.

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However, as Ben Jefferson of the Daily Express revealed, reports in Spain suggest that United are ready to give Atletico something to think about by laying £18 million on the table for the 30-year-old’s services.

Miranda is the complete defender, with aerial ability, power, a knack for reading the game and a turn of pace, so it’s no wonder United are reportedly looking his way—and journalist Sergi Dominguez believes that he should have had more credit for his brilliance last season:

Luring Miranda to Old Trafford will take a lot of negotiating, but his signing is leaning towards being more of a necessity than a luxury.

While the likes of Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo are slowly coming into their own this season, what United seriously lack at the back is a leader—a player to organise the line and keep things stable.

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Miranda is exactly that and more, it’s all just a case of whether it’s worth shelling out close to £20 million for a player in the winter of his career.

In the Atletico star’s case, though, it most certainly is.

Although January is still a few months away, the meticulous nature of Van Gaal’s style means that he’ll likely already have a shortlist of targets that he’s ready to pitch to the powers that be.

The Dutchman has already scooped some of the brightest attacking talent that world football has to offer, so now he needs to take a long, hard look at the defence.