For the last year or so (perhaps even longer) Manchester United have been picking up links to Roma’s ace midfielder, Kevin Strootman. Unfortunately, the Dutchman has been suffering with injury problems for quite some time now, so a move has never materialised.
I wonder if Louis Van Gaal would have moved in for Strootman this summer, had the player been fully fit. After all, Manchester United’s new boss knows Kevin well from his time as manager of the Holland international team.
Now that Kevin Strootman is fit and he’s working his way back into the Roma first team, Manchester United’s interest in him could well be reignited. In fact, according to The Metro, both Louis Van Gaal and Jose Mourinho are preparing to register £30m bids for the player.
Unfortunately for The Red Devils, the same source also carries quotes from Roma’s general director, Mauro Baldissoni, who suggests that his club is not all that keen to sell Strootman. Check out his comments:
“Our (club) president (James Pallotta) has already spoken about this and he gets angry with the rumours that link him (Kevin) to Manchester United. Our policy is that of investing in players that have quality but have room for improvement. Kevin is a young player with experience, and we want to build our future with players like him.”
That’s the exciting thing about Kevin Strootman. He is young (24), but he’s already made plenty of appearances for clubs like PSV and Roma, whilst at the same time earning 25 caps for the Netherlands. He’s also got a degree of competitive edge about his game that is all too lacking in Manchester United’s current crop of midfielders.
It strikes me that he’d be a perfect fit for The Red Devils and Manchester United in general.
But given Baldissoni’s comments, it’s clear that he’s not going to be easy to sign. Louis Van Gaal and co. are going to have to cook up one hell of a bid if they’re to seal this deal. Still, it’s not like Manchester United are strapped for cash. They have enough financial firepower to make Roma change their mind.
Let’s hope they’re capable of doing exactly that.
What’s your take? Could Manchester United still sign Kevin Strootman?
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