Manchester United Transfer News: Latest on Angel Di Maria, Marco Reus, More

Manchester United are highly anticipated to be busy in the January transfer window as manager Louis van Gaal continues his restructuring of the Old Trafford club.

The Red Devils returned to the Premier League's top four spots last weekend, well-placed to launch a challenge for a spot in next year's Champions League, but it may be activity in January that tips the balance either way.

Not all the speculation is realistic. Here, we have a look at the latest news regarding the club's transfer plans.

Di Maria to Leave, Reus in

Michael Sohn/Associated Press

One of the more outlandish suggestions is that Van Gaal will authorise the departure of midfield star Angel Di Maria to PSG next summer in order to steal a march in the race for Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus.

The Express' David Wright reports that allowing Di Maria to join Paris would put the French club off Reus and leave him free to join United for his £20 million release fee:

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Paris Saint-Germain are long-term admirers of Di Maria, but have recently shown an interest in Reus due to his low buy-out clause of £20m once the season concludes.

And United are prepared to let Di Maria, who only joined in August for £60m, leave for the Parc des Princes to boost their chances of signing Reus.

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While there would be the potential for United to make a quick profit on Di Maria, it would seem unlikely that the club would consider his sale following his fast adaptation to life in England.

For a club of United's financial capability, £20 million extra for Reus is no issue while they will also be aware of PSG's concerns with Financial Fair Play.

The French side would have to be 100 percent certain that Di Maria is the man they need in order to splash big money on his services or, as ESPNFC's Jonathan Johnson tweeted, see their restrictions relaxed by UEFA:

As United seek to reestablish themselves among the top sides in Europe, they need to bring in more players of Di Maria's level rather than sell them in order to sign others.

As rumours go, this one would seem particularly unlikely.

The "Next Aguero" Recommended

Alessandro Fucarini/Associated Press

Phil Neville may be the unlikely source of United's next big signing, according to the Express' Palermo" target="_blank">Ben Jefferson (h/t Mediaset), with the former Red Devil recommending Palermo's Paulo Dybala as a star of the future.

With Dybala already mentioned in connection with the Premier League, the article states that the Italian side have placed a £31 million price tag on their young star's head in order to ward off suitors.

Neville tweeted on Tuesday:

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Watched a player last night who's going to be a star Palermos Argentine Dybala remember the name!!

— Philip Neville (@fizzer18) November 25, 2014"

The 21-year-old has five goals to his name in Serie A thus far this campaign, and while he may be yet to explode in goalscoring terms, his talents are certainly garnering attention.

United have been reported to be stalling on moving permanently for Colombian Radamel Falcao, as reported by the Mirror's Liam Prenderville, due to his fitness concerns. It could well be that Dybala is a name they consider to strengthen their forward options.

A move in January, given Van Gaal's pressing need for defensive reinforcements, would be a major surprise.

Sneijder on the Radar Again

Peter Dejong/Associated Press

Wesley Sneijder has now been linked to Manchester United more times than most fans can remember, but he is the gift that keeps on giving as far as speculation goes. His agent spoke out after the Dutch star was dropped to the bench at Galatasaray.

Known to be a favourite of United boss Van Gaal, links with Old Trafford make increasing sense while his situation in Istanbul remains unclear.

As the Daily Star's Chisanga Malata reports, Sneijder's agent Guido Albers told Dutch television:

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I do not know why he was sitting on the bench. We'll have talks with the board on Wednesday in Brussels. We're going to speak about Wesley and we'll discuss this important event.

I really do not know why he did not start in the team. Sneijder wants to stay, but he continues to sit on the bench. Nobody wants to sit on the bench.

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United are not overly blessed in midfield areas, but No. 10 is one position where they are currently well-stocked. With Juan Mata's future a regular topic for debate, as cited by Jamie Redknapp in a recent Daily Mail column, a vacancy may be soon to emerge.

With Sneijder potentially available at a good price, it is certainly not a move to discount.

However, when it comes to the Dutchman's links to Manchester United, extra caution is always advised given the amount of previous links between the two parties.

Any move, though, would make sense for all involved if Mata's future lies away from Old Trafford.