Manchester United are ready to launch a £57million double bid for Paris Saint-Germain duo Edinson Cavani and Thiago Silva, writes Steve Bates in the Sunday People.
The Old Trafford giants have been on striker Cavani’s trail for over a year - he was a target during the short-lived David Moyes era - and they are after the Uruguay international once more, but boss Louis van Gaal is just as keen to land team-mate and centre-back Silva.
With United also linked to a £95million move for Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale, the Dutch chief is confident they will land more big names this summer after splashing the cash to buy Angel Di Maria for a British-record £59.7m last year.
Asked whether United could compete with Manchester City and Chelsea for the world’s top players against this summer, Van Gaal smiled: “I don’t have any doubt that players are coming to Manchester United.”
Van Gaal sees 30-year-old Brazil international Silva as the perfect defender to recruit if he can’t persuade Borussia Dortmund’s German international Mats Hummel to join his Old Trafford revolution.
Silva is the type of tough, ball-playing centre-half Van Gaal is seeking and he’s hoping United’s chief transfer negotiator Ed Woodward can strike a deal for the defensive star.
PSG paid AC Milan £35m for Silva in 2012 and he has emerged as a key pillar of their bid to be a Champions League force.
Silva scored the decisive extra-time header at Stamford Bridge last month to sink Chelsea and send PSG into the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Prising him away from Paris will be tough but Van Gaal is hopeful United can convince Silva to join them, - especially if they are in the Champions League themselves next season.
Woodward would be prepared to throw several players into any deal with PSG – including Robin van Persie, Javier Hernandez, Rafael and Nani.
The Old Trafford wheeler-dealer will also use the foursome as bait in United's bid to land top target Memphis Depay.
PSV Eindhoven winger Depay is high on van Gaal’s wanted list and he’s ordered Woodward to pull out all the stops to grab the Holland international.
Source: Mirror.co.uk
