Manchester United Transfer News: Radamel Falcao Interest and Top Winter Rumours

Speculation surrounding Radamel Falcao's winter fate continues to grow following the Manchester United loanee's struggles at Old Trafford, while the club faces competition for Mexican international Hector Moreno.

Spanish outlet Fichajes.net (h/t talkSPORT) claims Sevilla are eyeing a shock move for Falcao at the end of the season, while the Daily Star's Jack Wilson alleges Serie A pair Juventus and Roma are also in the hunt.

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United paid £6 million in order to land the Colombian on a season-long loan from Monaco and would need to pay a further £43 million in order to make his signing permanent.

The former Porto and Atletico Madrid forward was controversially left out of the squad that lost 1-0 at home to Southampton last weekend, with Louis van Gaal saying of his player, per The Guardian's Jamie Jackson:

"

He has to prove himself. We have agreed because of that we have made this deal and everything is clear and it is not till the end of the year so he has a chance for that. It is the quality of the training sessions and quality in his matches [that counts].

If a player cost £95m or £5,000 it is not any difference for me. A player of £95m has to prove yourself too. I have to be like that. It is difficult for the outside world to understand. I think he [Falcao] is generally happy.

I have spoken to him but I always speak with the players. I am a good communicator, so that is not a big exception. But he was not in the squad, so then you talk more with this kind of player because for them it is a big disappointment. I wanted to explain what he has to do in the future.

"

It's a fair assessment of the manager to place his trust in those he deems ready for each respective fixture and in any case, there's no reason to state United would have avoided defeat to the Saints with Falcao present.

Despite reports of the striker's misgivings in Manchester, Falcao took to his official Twitter account on Friday to reassure fans all is well at the club:

It's unsurprising that a player of his quality would have mass interest in his potential signing, but United still retain an advantage should they wish to make his deal permanent this summer.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have been marked out as clear favourites to sign Espanyol's Moreno, according to David Wright of the Express, who says the Gunners have a £6 million bid ready.

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Moreno has endured a difficult period since breaking his leg at the 2014 World Cup, but he played the full 90 minutes in each leg of his side's 3-2 aggregate win over Valencia in the Copa del Rey this month.

Wright mentions United and Tottenham as two of the sides chasing Moreno, but Metro recently reported that the Gunners have had scouts in Spain:

Despite his serious injury, the centre-back could be a valuable recruit given that he holds such a modest fee and is close to his playing prime at 27 years of age.

David Cartlidge of beIN Sports concurs, saying the Mexican could be a profitable acquisition for any club which manages to land his signature:

Bleacher Report's Alex Dimond recently analysed the latest rumours surrounding Old Trafford, identifying Athletic Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte as a centre-back alternative:

Compared to some of the more established names being mentioned as targets for Van Gaal, Moreno is a much more affordable option and one who would be more readily available this winter.

Should the club be focused on adding to their central-defensive ranks this month, the former AZ Alkmaar man could make for an intriguing and understated target.