Manchester United Transfer News: Top Rumours Linked to Red Devils

Manchester United have taken a step closer to sealing a £21.5 million deal for Borussia Dortmund midfield playmaker Ilkay Gundogan. A Sky Sports report suggests the Bundesliga club will cash in on Gundogan this summer instead of seeing him leave on a free transfer when his contract runs out in the summer of 2016.

As the report notes, Dortmund have plenty of bitter experience losing star performers for nothing. It happened with talisman striker Robert Lewandowski last summer.

The Poland international was snatched away by archrival Bayern Munich. Naturally, the Dortmund hierarchy doesn't want to see a repeat of that scenario.

So the club will take the money and run for 24-year-old Gundogan. A tough and cerebral pass-master, he functions best as a deep-lying schemer.

He's adept at making tackles and interceptions to safeguard a defence. Equally, Gundogan thrives by smartly recycling possession and threading passes between the lines to create chances.

Yet even with this mix of skills, it's difficult to see exactly how he fits at Old Trafford. After all, the Red Devils currently boast an ample array of talent in the middle.

Marouane Fellaini, Ander Herrera, Daley Blind and Juan Mata give United quality options at each level of midfield. Even veteran Michael Carrick is still around to shield the defence.

But manager Louis van Gaal is apparently keen on a long-term replacement for the 33-year-old. He sees Gundogan as the ideal choice, according to MailOnline reporter Sami Mokbel.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

Yet any deal may not run as smoothly as some of the latest reports indicate. ESPN FC's Miguel Delaney and Richard Jolly contradict the claims from Sky.

Citing unnamed sources, the pair state that although Gundogan has told Dortmund he wants to leave, any proposed €30 million move to Old Trafford is still a long way off. They even added Juventus and, of course, Munich to the list of suitors set to vie for Gundogan.

Given the wealth of talent already pushing for playing time in midfield, Van Gaal may be best served walking away from this deal and focusing United's resources on acquiring a top-notch forward and centre-back.

De Gea Stalling on New United Deal

Perhaps those resources would be better spent convincing goalkeeper David de Gea to stay in the Premier League. The outrageously gifted stopper has been given an ultimatum by the Red Devils after so far stalling on a new deal.

Mirror writer David McDonnell reported how the Spanish international has been offered £140,000 per week to stay at Old Trafford, an offer he's so far resisted. His refusal has left Van Gaal conceding De Gea will leave if he wants to: “But I am not the boss. I want him to stay. The player is the boss, he can say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ You will have to ask David de Gea, not me. He has to sign. We have offered him a lot of money.”

A De Gea exit would represent a major blow. He's established himself as perhaps the best goalkeeper in England's top flight. De Gea has not only rescued points for United this season, he's earned them.

B/R's Jonathan Johnson puts De Gea among the three best players at his position in the world, along with Bayern's Manuel Neuer and Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois.

Yet it may be impossible for the Reds to dissuade De Gea from a return to Spain's La Liga. The 24-year-old has been linked with a switch to Real Madrid.

At the end of January, Van Gaal suggested De Gea joining Los Blancos is possible, per the Daily Mail's Mike Keegan.

If De Gea walks, United's transfer strategy will alter significantly. There may not be room for Gundogan when Van Gaal has to go shopping for a new 'keeper and at least one new defender.