Manchester United Transfer News: Mario Gotze, Angel Di Maria Swap Rumoured

Manchester United have spoken to Bayern Munich about the possibility of swapping Angel Di Maria for either Mario Gotze or Bastian Schweinsteiger, according to Sport Bild's Christian Falk (h/t Uche Amako of the Express).

Falk suggests United have failed in their attempt to land Thomas Muller from the German champions, but they are now focused on signing one of two stars from the Bavarian camp:

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Reports on Wednesday also linked Di Maria with an unlikely move to Arsenal, per Sami Mokbel of the MailOnline. He suggested the Argentinian "would be of interest" to Gunners boss Arsene Wenger if the "financial framework" fits in with the north London club's spending plan for the summer.

Di Maria earns £280,000 per week and cost United £59.7 million just one year ago, so any potential suitors will need to offer huge terms to see a deal pushed through. Football writer Sam Pilger noted plenty of interest in the 27-year-old:

Bundesliga pundit Jan Aage Fjortoft also believes Bayern retain an interest in signing the player who failed to make a consistently positive impression during his debut year at Old Trafford:

B/R UK's Clark Whitney believes Di Maria and Gotze would be a fair trade:

He also suggested Bayern should consider including both Gotze and Schweinsteiger to see the deal completed:

United boss Louis van Gaal needs to add a handful of world-class players to his squad this summer. Despite Di Maria's inconsistencies—he assisted 10 goals, scored three and often frustrated with possession at his feet last season, per WhoScored.com—he has the capacity to be a key player in United's quest to dominate the Premier League once more.

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Gotze has also failed to hit the expected heights at Bayern. He contributed nine goals and two assists to the side's title-winning season, recorded WhoScored, but he continues to be frustrated under Pep Guardiola.

Volker Struth, the player's agent, recently suggested the coach has "destroyed" Gotze, reported Bild (h/t Tom Sheen of the Express). Struth doesn't expect the 23-year-old to leave Bayern this summer, though, per Sheen: "Mario did not even think about that (a summer exit) for a second. He is an unbelievably professional footballer who works very hard. Many people don't see that at all."

Reports of United's interest in Schweinsteiger have continued to crop up since the season's end, per Tom Dutton of the Evening Standard. He enjoyed a key transition from frustrated winger to combative central midfielder during Van Gaal's spell with Bayern and could become an important leader at the Theatre of Dreams.

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He would add a physical presence in the centre and could ease pressure on Michael Carrick, who spent much of last season injured. United aren't the same without the Englishman distributing play from the middle and need an alternative midfield general who can dictate the flow of possession.

B/R UK's Andy Brassell recently cast his eye over other potential deals surrounding United:

News broke on Wednesday that the club have agreed a fee with Torino for the transfer of versatile full-back Matteo Darmian, reported Fabrizio Romano of Sky Sports. Having already signed Memphis Depay from PSV Eindhoven, Van Gaal and United appear to be gaining momentum in the market ahead of next week's journey to the United States for the start of the side's pre-season schedule.

Many supporters would be sad to see Di Maria leave, mainly because he can deliver so much more in a United shirt. He played a vital role in Real Madrid's 2014 Champions League triumph and enjoyed a fantastic spell of form during Argentina's recent run to the Copa America final. There's few better when Di Maria puts it all together.

It would be a huge disappointment for United if he moved on and underlined this elsewhere without ever lighting up the Premier League.