Manchester United Transfer News: Omer Toprak Bid Expected, Top Rumours

Manchester United will target Bayer Leverkusen player Omer Toprak to strengthen their defence in the summer as club supremo Ed Woodward positions the Turkish international "top of his wishlist."

German publication Kicker (h/t Matt Heath-Smith of the Sun) claimed the United executive vice-chairman and the board are "desperate to strengthen their defensive line ahead of [the] next campaign" after the first-team suffered a number of crippling injuries in 2015-16. 

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The highly rated 26-year-old has played 159 times in all competitions since joining the Bundesliga club in 2011, per Heath-Smith, and is considered as one of the league's outstanding defensive talents. Toprak has also generated interest from Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid, but he is contracted until 2018 and will not be available below Leverkusen's expectantly high valuation. 

United have been linked with the defender as far back as October 2014, when Adrian Kajumba of the Daily Star said the player was being considered as a long-term replacement for Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.

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It's fair to say the Red Devils have still not replaced their most famous centre-back pairing since they left Old Trafford, and it has been one of the main reasons United have struggled with consistency since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson as coach.

United's rebuilding of the first team will surely carry on through the summer after the end of a passive campaign, and Cristiano Ronaldo remains a priority for the north-west club, as reported by Neil Fissler of the Daily Express.

However, Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has moved fast to rubbish any thoughts of the iconic player leaving Los Blancos in the summer.

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As quoted by George Bellshaw of Metro, when asked if he will sell Ronaldo in the summer, Zidane replied: "I’d say no. I’m the coach and I want him on the team."

The coach further explained, per Bellshaw: "The whistles [from the Real Madrid crowd] have always existed, they whistled me, they’ve whistled many other players. Sometimes the whistles can motivate you, after all the fans basically just want the players to do well. I always see a full stadium, so they can’t be as disappointed as people say."

Ronaldo scored 118 goals in 292 appearances for United during his career in England, per Fissler, and much like the aforementioned Vidic and Ferdinand, the Red Devils have not come close to replacing their superstar winger.

Here is a video of what United have been missing after they opted to sell CR7:

Richard Morgan of Sky Sports recently quoted Spanish football expert Guillem Balague discussing Ronaldo's future, as he told Sky Sports News HQ the Portugal international could be "priced out of the move" at his current valuation.

"It seems to be that nobody wants him for the price they'd have to pay for him, so we'll see how that goes because Real Madrid would also like to sell Ronaldo," said Balague. "It's a fascinating crossroads for his career."

Ronaldo is the dream buy that would get United fans excited again after a turgid spell under ex-boss David Moyes and current coach Louis van Gaal.

However, United's problems stem deeper than simply bringing a superstar buy to the club to appease supporters.

A defender like Toprak would be a welcome addition, and his quality on the ball would get United playing out from the back once again, just as the team did with Ferdinand pulling the strings.

The Red Devils need to evaluate LvG's fallen philosophy over the coming weeks and decide whether the Dutchman deserves a third season at the helm after minimal impact following Moyes' tenure.