Manchester United Transfer News: Latest on Kevin Strootman and Radamel Falcao

Louis van Gaal will be as pleased as Rudi Garcia to see Kevin Strootman once again featuring for Roma, and the Manchester United boss still has the Dutchman locked in his sights.

Meanwhile, the latest speculation surrounding Radamel Falcao indicates the club wish to see more of the striker before signing him on permanent terms, with an April deadline set prior to making a call.

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According to French newspaper Le 10, via Squawka, Van Gaal is sacrificing nothing in terms of ambition for his winter transfer window, with Strootman sitting among a host of elite assets, including Mats Hummels and Wesley Sneijder, on the tactician's wish list.

Dutch international Daley Blind arrived from Ajax over the summer, but were he fit at the time, it may have been Strootman around whom Van Gaal centred his engine-room recruitment pledge.

Since returning from the knee injury that made him ineligible for this summer's World Cup, Strootman is gradually making his way back into Roma's setup, per GianlucaDiMarzio.com's David Amoyal:

Musa Okwonga of ESPN FC says that if the Giallorossi can be convinced to sell their general, United's prospects will receive a tremendous boost:

Strootman has long been linked to a Manchester United switch, and the appointment of his former Oranje mentor Van Gaal has only intensified rumours he'll complete the transfer in 2015.

However, given his importance to the Serie A giants, Roma will pose a difficult obstacle in the chase to lure his services.

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If Le 10's report is to be believed, however, Van Gaal isn't looking for excuses and is determined to re-establish United as a top contender in the market, a club elite players genuinely want to join.

In Strootman's pursuit, he at least holds an edge other club's don't, and it may come to pass that the 24-year-old midfielder ultimately holds the keys in deciding his fate.

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In any case, Roma's demands to keep hold of their star are likely to set United back a large fee, and the same can be said of on-loan Falcao should his switch be made permanent.

Falcao would cost the Red Devils a massive £43.5 million this summer, having already paid Monaco £6 million for his season-long loan, and the Daily Mail's Joe Bernstein says the club aren't convinced just yet.

The Colombian international made his Premier League comeback in Saturday's 3-0 win over Hull City after six weeks on the sidelines, and Van Gaal says Falcao will receive no special treatment: "You have to be fit. That’s why players have to play in the second team, like Falcao, in spite of his name."

Falcao suffered a serious knee injury during the 2013-14 campaign that ruled him out of the 2014 World Cup and caused doubt about his Manchester arrival, but he's steadily gaining momentum at Old Trafford.

The 20-minute cameo against Steve Bruce's men was only Falcao's sixth league appearance under Van Gaal, but Robin van Persie resumed scoring form in a stellar performance to boost the manager's spirits.

Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe recently dissected the role academy graduate James Wilson can offer should the club look for an alternative option up front:

Given the figures associated with his transfer and the £265,000-a-week wages linked, it's understandable the Red Devils wish to see more of the prolific form Falcao produced at Atletico Madrid and Porto.

Ander Herrera needs no convincing, though. United's official Twitter account quotes the Spaniard pledging his support for Falcao:

Following his latest comeback from injury, Falcao will hope to begin what would be his first run of scoring form as a Manchester United player, having yet to even feature for a full 90 minutes.

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Bernstein's report mentions the forward has undertaken Pilates in an attempt to improve his conditioning, and he'll strive to see that it has the same career-extending results for him as it did for Reds legend Ryan Giggs.