Juan Mata’s £37m move to United will set in motion a chain reaction of transfer activity that will extend far beyond this window.
Shinji Kagawa ’s future is under immediate threat from the Spanish playmaker’s arrival.
David Moyes does not consider the Japanese international to be part of his strongest attack that he intends to build around Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie and Mata.
Adnan Januzaj is also ahead of Kagawa in the pecking order, which could see the 24-year-old offered as a makeweight in United’s pursuit of Borussia Dortmund’s Marco Reus and Ilkay Gundogan.
Moyes is an admirer of both players and will hope Kagawa will serve as a sweetener in negotiations with the Bundesliga club.
Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp has made no secret of his dismay at Kagawa’s fall from grace since his £12m move to Old Trafford two summers ago.
He would love to see him return to last season’s Champions League runners up, having already enquired about his availability last year.
Kagawa has made only seven starts in the Premier League this season as Moyes has struggled to find a role for him.
He has failed to score in any of his 18 appearances in total this term and was hauled off after just over an hour of Wednesday’s Capital One Cup semi-final defeat to Sunderland. It remains to be seen how Moyes plans to deploy Mata when everyone is fit – but there does not appear to be room for him and Kagawa when Rooney and Van Persie return.
United are expected to make more attacking additions to their squad in the summer, which would further limit Kagawa’s opportunities.
Moyes and his staff have made checks on Napoli’s Lorenzo Insigne and Sporting Lisbon’s Carlos Mane as well as Reus, with Borussia Monchengladbach’s Patrick Herrmann also on their radar.
Written by Steve Milne
