Man United transfer news: LVG making transfer plans for club despite Jose Mourinho's potential takeover, No Zlatan Ibrahimovic deal for Red Devils
Manchester United boss Louis Van Gaal is reportedly making transfer plans for the Red Devils despite speculations of Jose Mourinho potentially taking over as the club’s manager at the end of the season.
Van Gaal has continuously denied any reports of United replacing him after a dismal season, where United failed to reach the Premier League’s top four and have knocked out from the Champions League. However, Van Gaal, whose contract with United would not expire until 2017, seems to be convinced he gets to keep his job at the end of the season as he outlines the English club’s transfer plans for this summer.
"I have said a lot of times that we need more creative players, more fast players and more quick-thinking players because the lower teams are mostly parking the bus, as the Englishmen say,” Van Gaal said, reports the Manchester Evening News. "That makes things more difficult as the top teams want to play against us which means that we can play which makes a big difference."
Spanish football expert Guillem Balague claimed that Mourinho replacing Van Gaal as United’s boss is a done deal. If Balague’s reports are true, there would not be much of a sense for Van Gaal to make future transfer plans for the club.
On Mou. His people say all done with United. Most football people think all done too. MUFC say no decision made. Lvg thinks he's staying 1/2
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) April 6, 2016
In relation to Van Gaal’s transfer ideas for United, the 64-year-old Dutchman also revealed he would not pursue a transfer for the club’s summer target Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Paris Saint-Germain. Van Gaal said in an interview with Swedish television Viasat that he is campaigning for youthful players and the PSG striker, who ends his contract with the French club at the end of the season, is an unlikely candidate for LVG’s ideal squad because of the Swedish international’s age.
“We need to improve our selection [squad], because when I took over we had six or seven players above 33 years old. Nobody knows that anymore because now they are gone,” Van Gaal said, reports The Guardian. “He’s already 34 and I just spoke about the age [of the players] I let go [from United].”
Some, if not most, of United’s fans would certainly be disappointed not to see Ibrahimovic at Old Trafford, especially when the Red Devils have a serious shot at signing the 34-year-old striker, who has shown interests in joining the Premier League. However, Mourinho’s arrival at United could be a game-changer to bring Ibrahimovic to Old Trafford.