United Close In On £62m Double Swoop With Club Also In Advanced Talks For Defender

As we approach the opening of the summer window clubs will be intensifying their efforts in the transfer market so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip. Today, Man Utd close in on Luke Shaw.

Manchester United are closing in on a sensational £62m double swoop with the club on the verge of signing Luke Shaw as well as Ander Herrera, according to reports today.

Widespread newspaper reports this morning claimed that United were set to complete the £28m signing of Ander Herrera after agreeing to pay Athletic Bilbao the full value of the midfielders buy-out clause.

It’s understood the 24-year-old held talks in London where he was offered a four-year deal worth £50,000-a-week and was due to travel up to Manchester this afternoon to undergo a medical and complete his move if everything went smoothly.

It appears the spending isn’t going to stop there as ESPN are reporting that United look set to quickly make their second significant signing of the summer as they are also in advanced talks with Southampton over the signing of long-term target Luke Shaw.

The left-back has been strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford this summer and after weeks of speculation the report suggests that the deposed champions have submitted a formal offer, and while ESPN fail to disclose what United’s bid is, the Telegraph are one of several newspapers who claim it’s for a whopping £34m.

Shaw is believed to have made it clear to the Saints that he wants to join United and although the South Coast club refused to sanction the sale of any more players this summer until a permanent new manager was found, the appointment of Ronald Koeman appears to have paved the way for the 18-year-old’s move to Old Trafford.

If all goes to plan, United will kick off their summer transfer business with a stunning double swoop worth around £62m. While that sounds like a huge sum for two relatively unproven players at the highest level – with neither player having any significant experience in the Champions League or at international level – both are young and have their best years ahead of them.

Shaw is viewed as the long-term replacement for Patrice Evra and he’ll be able to learn from the Frenchman over the course of the next 12 months, which will be hugely valuable to his development. You could easily see Shaw being United’s left back for the next 10 years so while the £34m is a huge investment now, it should pay off over the long-term.

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Central midfield was certainly an area van Gaal will have wanted to strengthen when he was appointed United boss and Herrera is one of the most highly-rated young midfielders in Europe, so he’ll no doubt add some quality to the squad.

It’s worth waiting for these deals to be officially announced before getting too excited, but United fans would be rightly pleased if and when they are wrapped up.