Manchester United Transfer News: Kevin Strootman Bid Should Wait Until Summer

AS Roma's early exit from the UEFA Champions League has reignited rumours Kevin Strootman may be leaving the club, but regardless of any speculation, Manchester United should hold off on an official bid until the summer transfer window.

The Daily Star's Jonathan Green became the latest to stir the pot on Saturday, claiming Premier League rivals Chelsea are ready to swoop for the Dutch international with a £30 million offer, according to Italian reports.

A quick scan of the Italian papers and major sports sites will tell you such news was never actually reported, and the football-journalist watchdogs over at Sport Witness confirmed the news outlets on the Peninsula never actually reported the story:

There are a million reasons why Chelsea wouldn't move for Strootman, who has reportedly been a long-time target for the Red Devils, in January. To keep it simple: With Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas already occupying the centre of the pitch, there's no need to spend £30 million on a player just returning from injury.

Strootman may be playing again, but he's still some distance from being fully fit. He wasn't selected for Roma's all-important Champions League fixture against Manchester City, and that right there tells you all you need to know about how the midfielder's fitness currently is.

Still, the fact Roma just lost a huge chunk of revenue by not qualifying for the Champions League's Round of 16 automatically leads to the question: what will the Giallorossi do to make up that deficit?

A sale in January seems like the logical solution, and with Belgium's Radja Nainggolan enjoying a phenomenal breakout campaign, Strootman becomes a likely candidate. Bleacher Report UK's Sam Tighe was once again impressed with his performances against City:

But Roma's finances aren't that dire that they should move arguably their most valuable player, and the 24-year-old will remain a key cog in the squad once he returns to full health.

Bleacher Report's Paolo Bandini explains:

Mauro Baldissoni, the Giallorossi general manager, echoed the same sentiment in a recent interview with Sky Sports, saying:

"

This is something I'm reading every day. It is also something our president doesn't like to read every day.

He made a statement a few weeks ago saying Kevin was not for sale but, to be fair, we haven't received any call from Manchester. We do not plan to sell him.

"

It's not just the fact Roma has no intention of selling that stands in the way of a transfer—the injury does, as well. Yes, Strootman's recovery is going well, but the Dutchman will need months to regain his old level.

GianlucaDiMarzio.com's David Amoyal looked at the recovery of other players with similar injuries, and he thought it was pretty clear why Strootman was left on the bench against the Citizens:

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Strootman just recently returned from an ACL injury. He had surgery on his knee back in March of this year. While there are exceptions like Khedira, most players who have that surgery need 18 months to fully regain their form (they return sooner but they aren’t the player they were before the injury until much later). If Strootman was anywhere near close to his top form, Roma would have certainly started him against Manchester City in a match where the Champion League was at stake.

"

The injury greatly diminished Strootman's value on the open market, and that won't change by January. Not only will Louis van Gaal be unwilling to spend big on a player carrying an injury risk—Roma have no intention of settling for a fee far below the player's worth when healthy.

It makes a lot more sense for all parties involved to wait until the summer. Potential buyers can monitor his recovery over the coming months, while Roma can continue to challenge for silverware with the Dutchman in the side.

Baseless rumours of other clubs making a play for Strootman shouldn't alter Van Gaal's timeline. As of right now, the Red Devils are still favourites to land him, and it's in the best interest of everyone involved to exercise patience and wait for the end of the season.

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