Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Rumours, Top Players Eyed by Red Devils

Manchester United are reportedly plotting a sensational double swoop for Real Madrid stars James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos.

That’s according to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, who claimed both players are heading for the Santiago Bernabeu exit door, where the Red Devils are waiting with open arms.

Rodriguez has endured a torrid 2015/16 campaign with the Spanish giants, with time on the pitch at a premium and constant rumours of a bust-up with manager Zinedine Zidane.

And it’s seemingly all built up to the Colombian moving away from the Spanish capital. Ed Malyon of Daily Mirror commented on Rodriguez’s Los Blancos career:

Real Madrid now need to decide how hefty a price tag they want to slap on the 24-year-old, and Balague said the club want to claw back the majority of the €80 million they parted with for his services, via Jack Wilson of Daily Star:

"

Manchester United would like James.

The player wants to go. He is determined to go so we will see what price Real Madrid will put on him.

There is a little bit of division from Real Madrid regarding James.

Zinedine Zidane is a little bit disappointed with him and will have no problem in letting him go.

Real Madrid are playing it cool though and saying they do not want him to go because they want to get back as much of the £60m they paid for him.

"

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

While Madrid are adamant they want Rodriguez to stay, he’s clearly out of favour under Zidane’s watch.

As Bleacher Report’s Karl Matchett revealed last month, the Colombian has spent most of 2016 on the Real bench:

He’d undoubtedly be handed plenty of game time at Old Trafford, but unless United manage to secure UEFA Champions League football for next term, a switch to Manchester won’t be hugely appealing.

The same applies to Kroos, who would be the perfect signing for Louis van Gaal’s men.

A world-class defensive midfielder has been at the top of fans’ wishlists for many a transfer window now, yet the United powers-that-be have failed to get a deal across the line.

Kroos could well prove the solution to that problem, although Balague remains unsure as to whether Real will let him go in the summer: “Toni Kroos decided early in the season that he wanted to move on. Will Kroos be able to leave? We will have to wait and see."

It seems clear that Manchester United need to bring in reinforcements if they’re to return to the top of the Premier League.

United have not been shy of investing in previous windows, but they need to make sure they spend wisely, and these two additions would be shrewd moves.