Manchester United Transfer News: Louis Van Gaal Sets Plan to Sign Elite Stars

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is set to tweak the club's transfer policy moving forward, with the Red Devils boss reportedly ready to target world-class talents over bolstering squad depth.

That’s according to Mark Ogden of the Daily Telegraph, who writes after spending in excess of £300 million since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013, the manager and the team’s owners feel the face of the squad has been reshaped sufficiently, and now is the time to add some stardust to the group:

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Senior figures at Old Trafford ­believe that two summers of large‑scale recruitment have now left Van Gaal’s squad stocked with quality and top-level cover in every area of the pitch. But there is also an acceptance that stability within the playing squad is required and that the way forward requires an evolution of the club’s transfer strategy that will see quality alone, rather than combined with quantity, become the cornerstone of recruitment.

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The Red Devils brought in Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin, Sergio Romero and Anthony Martial this summer. There’s no denying the squad has been enriched as a result, but early indications suggest the club still lack the mercurial streak required to go on and secure major honours.

It’s a trait that a player like Angel Di Maria—who was shifted out of Old Trafford on the back of one poor season—or Radamel Falcao—who was a flop on loan at the club last term—could have previously provided, but things didn't work out for either. Indeed, Bleacher Report’s Rob Blanchette is concerned an X-factor is scarce:

The Red Devils did apparently look to draft in these superstar names in this window, and in Schweinsteiger, many would say the club have already got one.

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As Ogden notes, Barcelona’s Neymar, Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller and Real Madrid duo Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos were all linked to a move to Old Trafford this summer. Any of those deals would have been a major coup for the Red Devils, and while they all came across as fanciful, it seems as though they’re the type of talents the club will target moving forward.

But as John Brewin of ESPN FC noted in the final embers of the previous transfer window, you could definitely argue this United squad is still short of the numbers required:

The Red Devils have always been about getting a right balance in the transfer market. Under Sir Alex Ferguson, United developed their own players, brought in raw talents with malleable qualities and also paid big money for proven stars too. That collective should be their transfer modus operandi, not one facet in particular.

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Martial is one player who could blossom into a world-class talent at Old Trafford. Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe runs the rule over him here:

It’s important the club pick their battles too. Unless stratospheric sums are paid, luring a key player away from Real, Barca or Bayern is hugely difficult.

Those clubs are in a position of huge security when compared to the rest of Europe, meaning if United do want thoroughbred superstars in their squad, they’ll most likely have to explore avenues other than pinching them off European juggernauts.