Robin Van Persie Transfer Rumours: Latest News, Reports on Manchester United Ace

Manchester United could face a fight to hold on to star centre-forward Robin van Persie, who is having doubts about his long-term future at Old Trafford. That’s according to Neil Custis of The Sun, who claims that with less than 18 months on his current contract, the Dutchman is weighing up his options.

Custis quotes a source close to the player, stating that “increasingly it is looking like his future will be elsewhere and he is beginning to think that himself.”

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Van Persie has been a regular fixture in Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United side this season. The manager and player have a well-known affinity and Wayne Rooney’s recent move to midfield has been attributed to Van Gaal’s willingness to get the Dutchman, Radamel Falcao and his skipper into the starting line-up.

But it’d be fair to say that the 31-year-old forward hasn’t really hit the levels we witnessed during his first season in United red. That year the Dutchman hauled the Red Devils to the Premier League title with his goals, but since then injury problems and a subsequent lack of form have conspired to reduce his output. 

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Indeed, Van Persie has netted a meagre eight goals this season from 20 Premier League appearances, per WhoScored.com, a poor return for a player of his undeniable calibre. But as noted by Squawka Football, he’s still the club’s joint-top scorer this season:

Those statistics may be a worry to Van Gaal should Van Persie leave the club, but there’s little surprise that the Dutchman is being linked with a move away. When he was signed from Arsenal it was with the short-term very much in mind and, after wrestling back the Premier League title from Manchester City in 2012/13, Van Persie has fulfilled his primary duty.

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But as noted by WhoScored.com, the player remains a key influence in this team despite his dwindling goalscoring:

He’s a player you suspect that Van Gaal would love to keep around, but with no contract talks in sight, it would be a major surprise if a club from the continent didn’t test United’s willingness to keep hold of their forward come the summer; the Red Devils may prefer a sale instead of losing him on a free transfer.

Van Persie remains a popular figure at Old Trafford and a player who has given the fans some wonderful moments during his relatively brief stint with the club. From their standpoint, with Champions League football looking likely to come back to the Theatre of Dreams next season, hopefully any thoughts of a potential exit will be sated by another crack at top-level European football.