Manchester United Transfer News: Fabio Coentrao Eyes Deal, Kevin De Bruyne Boost

Real Madrid’s versatile star Fabio Coentrao has insisted it would be an “honour” to sign for Manchester United amid rumours the Red Devils will look to land the Portuguese international this summer.

The former Benfica man has been on the fringes of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad this season and, speaking with O Jogo (h/t Manu Sainz of AS), insisted he needs to get more minutes at the Santiago Bernabeu, as well as issuing a “come and get me” plea of sorts to the Red Devils hierarchy:

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I already showed that interest in playing there (at Manchester United). It’s one of the best clubs in the world, a club that I admire a lot. It would be an honour to play there.

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I hope to have more minutes at Real Madrid and that the coach relies on me more, something that has not happened up to now.

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Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Marco Ruiz of AS reports Louis van Gaal will make a move for Coentrao in the upcoming transfer window. According to the piece, United were poised to sign the defender two seasons ago, but an “administrative error” at the last minute scuppered any chance of the deal going ahead.

While Coentrao has been scarcely seen this season—he’s made just three starts in La Liga, per WhoScored.com—he served up a couple of reminders of his quality while on international duty, bagging a goal and an assist for Portugal during their crucial European Championships qualifier against Serbia.

Here’s a look at those standout moments, per SocialRMadrid:

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GOALL COENTRAO!! https://t.co/sC24xJ4lwj

— SocialRMadrid (@SocialRMadrid) March 29, 2015"

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Beautiful assist by Coentrao. https://t.co/FQr7lX5poe

— SocialRMadrid (@SocialRMadrid) March 29, 2015"

While Marcelo is a fine left-back and a player who arguably has an edge over the Portuguese, it’s been disappointing to see Coentrao limited to appearances off the bench. Indeed, it seems as though he is angling for a move with these comments and, as such, it’d be a surprise if the 27-year-old remained at Madrid beyond this season.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

He played a lot of key games for Los Blancos on the way to Champions League glory last season, with Ancelotti admiring the player’s defensive skills, which suitably complement his energetic and effective forward forays. It’s certainly easy to see why the player has reportedly shown up on Van Gaal’s transfer radar.

It’d be intriguing to see just how the former Benfica man would fit into this squad, especially given United paid big money to land Luke Shaw last summer. But Coentrao is capable of playing anywhere on the left-hand side and even in central midfield, something that’d make him a valuable member of the squad should he join United.

Kevin de Bruyne Boost for United

Michael Sohn/Associated Press

The Red Devils, meanwhile, are “in pole position” to sign Wolfsburg sensation Kevin de Bruyne, with talkSPORT (h/t Jamie Sanderson of Metro) claiming the club have moved ahead of Chelsea in the race for the £40 million-rated midfielder.

Here’s a look at why the Belgium international is attracting the attentions of some illustrious names:

Indeed, De Bruyne has totted up a staggering 14 goals and 21 assists this season, per WhoScored.com, helping Wolfsburg into the quarter-finals of the Europa League and to second place in the Bundesliga.

As noted by Alex Chaffer of FourFourTwo, the 23-year-old has a hugely positive impression on those players around him too:

As wonderful a player as De Bruyne is, after a turbulent spell at Chelsea earlier in his career and a move to Wolfsburg in January 2014, it’s vital he preserves some consistency and stability. So while a transfer to Old Trafford and another crack at the Premier League may be potentially enticing, at the moment he should remain with the Bundesliga outfit, where he is a vital player.

Should he stay, it could potentially prompt United into pursuing other attacking options. Thom Gibbs looked at a couple of players who would certainly excite the Old Trafford faithful in Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo:

Wolfsburg are a team beginning to lay some ambitious foundations. They signed Andre Schurrle for big money in January and will almost certainly be sampling Champions League football next season. The moves made by the club of late should sate the desires of De Bruyne, who will surely appreciate the value of regular football a lot more than most and subsequently stick around.