Manchester United Transfer News: Robert Lewandowski Could Replace Radamel Falcao

Manchester United appear to be lining up Robert Lewandowski as Radamel Falcao's replacement in their attack, with rumours suggesting the Red Devils will move for the player in the summer.

Rob Shepherd of MailOnline says "Louis van Gaal is keen on [the] Bayern Munich forward," who would command a fee of around £30 million.

And Rob Draper of The Mail on Sunday says "Real Madrid are considering a move for [Falcao]" and that "United are not expected to take up their £43 million option" to sign the Colombian superstar.

Draper also quotes Monaco Vice President Vadim Vasilyev speaking about Falcao and United, saying he is not concerned if the permanent deal for the player does not materialise:

"It's up to Manchester United to take a decision, but I'm not worried for him because we have interest from other big clubs."

Lewandowski has failed to settle under Pep Guardiola since his free-agent move from Borussia Dortmund, and this could prompt a big-money transfer to United for the 26-year-old Pole.

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

But the player's strike rate for the Bavarian super club is still impressive despite rumours of his exit, scoring 10 times in 20 Bundesliga matches, per WhoScored.com.

However, with Guardiola's wealth of attacking talent, Lewandowski may become surplus to requirements much sooner than he ever thought possible. 

Bayern legend Stefan Effenberg has moved to defend the striker, highlighting to Sky the importance of the player in the club's setup, per Miles Chambers of Goal.com:

"

People who say that Lewandowski was a dodgy purchase have no idea what they're talking about when it comes to football. He is extremely important to the team. The charisma and quality that he had at Dortmund, he has at Bayern. The difference is that at the Allianz Arena he has three or four other world-class attackers alongside him.

"

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Falcao's lack of goals can be partly attributed to Louis van Gaal's system, with United not playing a brand of football suited to El Tigre's style.

The Colombian seems to be rotting at Old Trafford, and he will favour a move back to La Liga if he can get one, where he has abundantly thrived in the past.

Lewandowski is certainly more of the player type LvG prefers at the top of his attack. He has both the mobility and goal ratio that the United manager desires, and his physical presence would give the Red Devils a tactical variation.

With United's current spending, the Polish international is very much within their capabilities of attraction, and a move to the Premier League would be desirable if Guardiola opts to sell.