Manchester United Transfer News: Wesley Sneijder Rumours Never Made Sense

On the list of major needs for Manchester United's football team this January, an attack-minded midfielder probably shouldn't be very high on the list.

Adding some depth on defense? Sure, they could use that. A defensively sound midfielder to support the back four? That would be great. But another attacker? Nah, not needed.

That's why it will probably come as a relief to many Manchester United supporters that the team's rumoured interest in Galatasaray's Wesley Sneijder likely won't result in his signing. Heck, he probably won't be going anywhere (Juventus are also rumoured to have interest), per Sam Lee of Goal.com:

"

Sneijder's agent, however, insists his client is happy in Turkey and that his club are in no mood to sell.

'The Galatasaray board told me that they won't sell Sneijder,' Guido Albers told Bugun TV. 'Wesley loves Galatasaray and the fans. Both he and his wife Yolanthe want to stay in Istanbul.

'If there is a club interested him, they have to negotiate with the Galatasaray board, not with me. Also, any club who wants him will have to pay the €20m (£15.6m) release clause in his contract. Not €5m (£4m), €10m (£8m) or €12m (£10m).'

"

There are somewhat conflicting reports on the matter, however, as Football Italia tweeted:

Let's read the subtext here. It goes something like this:

Galatasaray won't sell unless a club meets Sneijder's £15.6m release clause, which no team in its right mind would do for a 30-year-old with three goals and zero assists in 15 league appearances, good for a mediocre 6.86 average match rating from WhoScored.com. So no, the Galatasaray board won't sell Sneijder.

WhoScored.com has more on why Sneijder isn't going anywhere if Galatasaray remain steadfast on his transfer fee:

So he doesn't play defense, he isn't efficient when he shoots and he isn't better than Wayne Rooney, Angel Di Maria or Juan Mata? Tell me again why United would entertain the notion of bringing Sneijder to Old Trafford.

Ah, wait, I think I can figure it out for myself. He's Dutch. He played well in this year's World Cup for Louis van Gaal. Logically, that means he's potentially United-bound.

But why? Honestly, why?

United are stocked with attacking talent. I didn't even mention Radamel Falcao, Robin van Persie or Adnan Januzaj in the attacking ranks. Why would this squad not focus on strengthening its spine, the one thing keeping it a tier below this year's true Premier League title contenders, Chelsea and Manchester City?

It's hard to know exactly which parties are posturing when rumours like this hit the papers, but in this case, it seems somebody is pushing an agenda. What seems less likely is that Sneijder is a top priority for United, or a target at all unless the team plans on ditching a few more attacking midfielders. 

Until that happens, file any "Sneijder to United" rumours in the Silly Season bin.