United boss Louis van Gaal has been keen to bolster his midfield options and had Roma’s Kevin Strootman at the top of his wishlist.
However the Serie A side were not willing to let the Dutchman go and United would have to have paid £75m to bring him to Old Trafford, meanwhile Juventus star Arturo Vidal was another option.
The Chilean has had his professionalism called into question by new boss Massimo Allegri after going on a night out before the table-topping clash against Roma, but the Italian champions have confirmed that he will be staying at the club despite concerns over a knee injury.
Van Gaal has recognised it will be tough to bring either midfielder into the club and so has been monitoring Borussia Dortmund man, Ilkay Gundogan.
Dortmund have been suffering a poor start to their Bundesliga campaign, losing four of their first seven matches, and Gundogan faces a challenge to make the starting line-up against the likes of Shinji Kagawa and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
However he is keen to prove himself in the team after being sidelined with injury and is confident he will start against Cologne.
He told Sky Sports Deutschland: “I am now available. The plan is that I am fully integrated into the team as soon as the national players are back.
“I am assuming that I am in the squad on the weekend against FC Cologne.”
By Phil Wellbrook
