David Moyes believes he has pulled off a new coup – by winning the race to sign German midfield sensation Ilkay Gundogan, writes Alan Nixon of the Sunday People.
The Manchester United boss, fresh from agreeing Wayne Rooney’s £85 million contract extension, is confident he has moved closer to bagging the £32m man.
The Borussia Dortmund star, 23, is currently sidelined with a back injury.
But United officials have been working hard behind the scenes to put a deal in place – despite interest from Real Madrid, Arsenal and Chelsea.
United chief executive Ed Woodward has been focused on wrapping up Rooney’s future with the Old Trafford giants.
But he has been running parallel negotiations for other targets, including Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani, as exclusively revealed by Sunday People Sport last month.
Moyes has long admired Gundogan, rated one of Europe’s top midfield stars.
Former Dortmund favourite Shinji Kagawa could head back to his old club as part of the deal.
And Bayern Munich’s Toni Kroos, 23, has been tipped to join Gundogan at Old Trafford, although the Germans will fight hard to keep him.
Written by Steve Milne @stevenmilnelive
