Man Utd Set To Learn Fate Over Pursuit Of £32m Midfielder

The January transfer window may have slammed shut but clubs will still be working hard behind the scenes at identifying targets for the summer, so we’ll bring you all the latest news, gossip and rumours. Today, Man Utd are set to learn whether Ilkay Gundogan will be joining them.

Manchester United are set to find out whether they’ve been successful in luring Ilkay Gundogan to Old Trafford with Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke claiming the player will make a decision over his future ‘in a matter of weeks’, according to the Mirror.

Gundogan has just over a year left on his current Dortmund contract and there has been a huge amount of speculation over his future as he continues to stall over signing an extension. Manchester United have been strongly linked with the 23-year-old in recent months and are believed to be one of several top European clubs who’ve tabled contract offers to the player.

While Dortmund are desperate to keep hold of the midfielder and build there team around him, the former Bundesliga champions have indicated they won’t let him enter the final year of his deal as they don’t want a repeat of the Robert Lewandowski situation, which saw him run down his contract and is agree to join rivals Bayern Munich on a free transfer.

The Mirror claim that United boss David Moyes is confident he can win the race for Gundogan’s signature and tie up a deal that will be worth in the region of £32m, while Shinji Kagawa has also been touted as a possible make-weight in any deal.

The German international has said few words regarding his future as he continues to recover from a back injury that threatens to see him miss this summers World Cup, but Dortmund’s CEO claims the player will make an announcement over where he’ll be playing next season within the coming weeks.

“On whether he will compete in the World Cup, I am not the one to give out reliable forecasts,”

“We will not speculate about when he will come back. We are convinced he will be healthy but we cannot measure this in terms of weeks or months.

“As for the contract, it will not be a long, dragged-out affair. I think it is not going to be more than a matter of weeks.” Watzke is quoted as saying by the Mirror

United have endured a torrid season and if he manages to keep hold of his job long enough, David Moyes is expected to be busy in the transfer market this summer as he rebuilds his flagging squad.

Midfield has certainly been an area of concern for the Scot with Marouane Fellaini failing to live up to his price-tag, Michael Carrick now approaching the twilight of his career, while Tom Cleverley has come under increasing criticism from his own fans for some below par displays this season.

A player of Gundogan’s quality would be a major signing for the club and it would be something of a coup if Moyes could could to pull it off, so he’ll be eagerly awaiting the players announcement when it eventually arrives.

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