Manchester United Transfers: 10 Midfielders Linked to Old Trafford

Can you feel it yet? Only a little more than six more weeks until the transfer window reopens.

We're excited. You probably are, too. Your favorite club? Oh yeah.

Today we're talking Manchester United. Specifically, we're talking midfielders that have been linked with a move to Manchester United.

Not all of these midfielders will move to Old Trafford. In fact, if United sign every player they want out of this list, it might only be one or two of them.

But that's the fun of all this, isn't it?

Let's get right to it, then.

1. Christian Eriksen

Who: Christian Eriksen

Club: Ajax

Country: Denmark

Age: 19

The Skinny: ESPNSoccernet reckons that Ferguson is still looking to replace Paul Scholes and that Eriksen, an attacking midfielder currently at Ajax, would be a good fit. They quote The Daily Star, which quotes an unnamed Scandinavian source apparently close to Eriksen.

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"United are hot on him. Trust me, they want him and £20 million is the price being bandied around," a source in Scandinavia told the newspaper. "Yet ironically both Chelsea and Spurs turned him down several years ago because they thought he was too small. He has since turned into a world-class player."

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How likely? We think this might be one of the more realistic Manchester United rumours of the winter transfer window. The Guardian says Manchester City are also on the trail, so it's going to be a fight. The fee is reportedly £20 million, which is steep for a teenager but doable for both clubs.

2. Mario Götze

Who: Mario Götze

Club: Borussia Dortmund

Country: Germany

Age: 19

The Skinny: Götze, an attacking midfielder/forward with Borussia Dortmund, is one of the hottest prospects in Europe. He has already broken into the full German international team, and more importantly, he looks exactly like Malcolm in the Middle.

(For that matter, Christian Eriksen kinda looks like Malcolm's brother Reese)

How likely? Uncertain at best. Dortmund keep saying Götze is not going anywhere, and while we all know better than that, this time it might be true. He's still quite young, and the Bundesliga is a dang fine league. A move abroad isn't necessary for him to realize his potential.

Besides, even though United have been mentioned among potential suitors, this report says Juventus lead the pack.

3. Wesley Sneijder

Who: Wesley Sneijder

Club: Inter

Country: Netherlands

Age: 27

The Skinny: This is an old rumour that heated up last summer. It's cooled off since, but anything is still possible.

How likely? Not very. Last summer, Sneijder moving to Manchester seemed not only likely, it very nearly happened. Now, though, it's kind of a long shot.

4. Nico Gaitan

Who: Nico Gaitan

Club: Benfica

Country: Portugal

Age: 23

The Skinny: Ferguson and United targeted Benfica's Gaitan, a winger, after the two clubs met recently in the Champions League. Gaitan has since signed a new deal and expressed his desire to stay in Portugal.

How likely? Not now. We think this could happen later. For now, though, the price tag is just too high.

5. Mateo Kovacic

Who: Mateo Kovacic

Club: Dinamo Zagreb

Country: Croatia

Age: 17

The Skinny: Kovacic is a 17-year-old playmaker who's being called the "new Luka Modric." Metro have reported that he favours a transfer to Manchester United over Arsenal.

How likely? Not now. In that article (if it's to be trusted in the first place), an unnamed source says a January move is unlikely because of Kovacic's price tag of around £10 million. He's also only 17, which seems a bit young for a transcontinental move to a foreign country.

6. Lucas Ocampos

Who: Lucas Ocampos

Club: River Plate

Country: Argentina

Age: 17

The Skinny: "The new Cristiano Ronaldo," Lucas Ocampos is an exciting winger with age (17) and height (6-2) on his side. He's being tracked by several top European clubs according to the Mail Online.

That article says Chelsea lead the pack but United have a chance.

How likely? Pray. Ocampos made his first-team breakthrough at River Plate earlier this season, and he's already attracting big-money offers. Chelsea have already expressed interest, and that means all the big spenders will be sniffing around soon.

7. Shinji Kagawa

Who: Shinji Kagawa

Club: Borussia Dortmund

Country: Japan

Age: 22

The Skinny: Kagawa was reportedly a United target a while back. More recently, reports linked him to United, AC Milan, Liverpool and Juventus.

How likely? Tough to say. TalkSport says the fee will be around £18 million. That sounds a bit too high to us.

8. Javi Garcia

Who: Javi Garcia

Club: Benfica

Country: Spain

Age: 24

The Skinny: Metro reported a while back that United were interested in signing defensive midfielder Javi Garcia away from Benfica.

The 24-year-old arrived from Real Madrid for £6 million in 2009 and has impressed with the Portuguese club.

How likely? We think there's a decent chance this could happen. United need midfield help, and at 24, Garcia has the experience to contribute immediately. United face competition from AC Milan.

9. Milos Krasic

Who: Milos Krasic

Club: Juventus

Country: Serbia

Age: 27

The Skinny: This one has been brewing for a while. A few months ago, this report from TalkSport said Juventus had told United and Chelsea to end their interest in Serbian winger Milos Krasic.

That told us that United really were interested in Krasic. What better way to know for sure than for the player's current club to admit it, right?

Anyway, the chase has heated up in recent days as the Serb has found himself out of favor at Juventus.

How likely? Very. The man himself has said he'd like to play in the Premiership. It's a matter of getting the deal done now. We could see a loan happening in January.

10. Javi Martinez

Who: Javi Martinez

Club: Athetlic Bilbao

Country: Spain

Age: 23

The Skinny: The Mail Online are reporting that United are chasing Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez.

How likely? Not very. There are two problems: First, his price tag is reportedly £34 million (that's a lot of money, even for United), and second, Manchester City are in the race.

That's not a lot of money for City to spend.