For the last two or three years, The Red Devils seem to have picked up links to Wesley Sneijder in each and every iteration of the transfer window. Now that Louis Van Gaal is in charge at Old Trafford, it’s unlikely that this will change. After all, Van Gaal and Sneijder share a nationality and that’s often enough for the British papers to cook up a rumour or two.
As you might expect, the press haven’t been slow to queue up more stories linking Manchester United to Wesley Sneijder in the run up to the January transfer window. Indeed, The Metro claim that the Dutchman is keen to leave Galatasaray as soon as possible. The source suggests that he could move on for as little as £9m.
I’d argue that Wesley Sneijder isn’t exactly what Manchester United need right now. They need defensive minded players who can add steel and resolve to their squad. But that’s not to say that Sneijder won’t improve United’s squad. In fact, I’d argue that he’d be an improvement over Juan Mata, at least for the next year or two.
The Spaniard was fantastic whilst he was at Chelsea, but he’s lost some of his energy and his dynamism over the last 12 months. Sneijder on the other hand, is still producing the goods on a weekly basis. In 42 appearances for Galatasaray last season, he scored 17 goals and made 9 assists. He’s an extremely effective individual.
Is it any wonder that Manchester United have been interested for so long?
Southampton are also thought to be interested, so Louis Van Gaal and co. need to decide exactly how keen they are. Are they prepared to spend £9m on a 30-year-old? Are they ready to finally bring Wesley Sneijder to Old Trafford?
If the answer to those questions is ‘yes’, then I certainly won’t complain.
What’s your take? Could Manchester United finally wrap up a deal for Wesley Sneijder?
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