Manchester United Transfer News: Morgan Schneiderlin £25M Bid Rumours Emerge

Roma's unwillingness to sell Kevin Strootman has upped manager Louis van Gaal and Manchester United's interest in Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin, according to reports.

The French midfielder put in a dominant performance to help Ronald Koeman's side topple the Red Devils on Sunday. He continues to impress alongside Victor Wanyama in the heart of Saints' midfield and is likely to earn a profitable move before the start of next season.

United have now "switched their attentions" to Schneiderlin, according to Richard Tanner of the Daily Express. The publication noted a potential £25 million fee in its coverage, as highlighted by Nick Sutton of BBC Radio 4:

Strootman recently played down talk linking him with a move to United, as reported by Sky Italia (h/t Sky Sports):

"

I’ve signed up for five years (at Roma), but so far I’ve only been playing for six or seven months (due to injury). I feel better physically and I’m returning to 100 percent. I’m not there yet, but I’m coming back. I want to play and help the team. That’s important to me. If I spoke about other clubs that would be disrespectful, and I don’t want to do that.

"

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Van Gaal desperately needs a physical holding midfielder, something Schneiderlin and his team-mates highlighted at Old Trafford. United were unable to maintain possession and effectively break up play through the middle, becoming crowded out by their powerful opponents.

Schneiderlin continues to impress in the Premier League. He averages 3.4 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per match this season, as recorded by WhoScored.com. It would be unfair to pigeonhole him simply as a rough-and-ready midfielder, though. The 25-year-old has completed 89.3 percent of his passes and also notched four goals in 16 matches across the Premier League and FA Cup this term.

B/R UK's Sam Tighe recently provided his assessment of the former Strasbourg player:

Schneiderlin is simultaneously able to protect Southampton's defence and help the side push forward. He remains ambitious, however, and he has suggested he will wait until the end of the season to weigh up his options.

This approach is certainly different to his attempt to force a move during last summer. Schneiderlin's latest comments were reported by Telefoot (h/t Matt Morlidge of the Mail Online): "It's always difficult to leave in January. I think I'll finish the season at Southampton and we'll see what will happen next. I don't set my mind on these things anymore. What should happen will happen. Since this summer, I learned that you should never think that you're gone before you actually did."

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Former United right-back and current Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville believes the player would add quality to any of England's top sides, per Tanner's report: "I think he could play at any of the top clubs in the league, Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United or Arsenal—he's showed his quality this season."

Squawka highlighted exactly what a potential buyer would be getting for their money:

B/R UK's Alex Dimond and Ryan Bailey recently discussed other candidates who could provide United with a boost:

Club chief executive Ed Woodward indicated there is a "low probability" United will spend big this month, as reported by Simon Jones of the Mail Online. Van Gaal desperately needs additional quality in a squad which is going to struggle to qualify for the Champions League at their current rate.

While United have the attacking threat to trouble anyone, chasms in midfield and defence remain. Schneiderlin is a natural, if expensive, fix. It's unlikely United would be able to coax him away from St. Mary's until at least the end of the season, especially as there's a real possibility Southampton could finish above the Old Trafford crew this year.

Quick decisions need to be made in January if Van Gaal is to return United to elite European competition at the first attempt.

A brazen move for someone of Schneiderlin's ilk could make all the difference and shouldn't be overlooked by the club's hierarchy. The squad needs padding out, but right now, United also crave starters who can regularly win the side three points with disciplined performances.