Cesc Fabregas alternatives: The midfielders Manchester United could target if move for Barca star fails
With the deal for Barcelona's midfield star stalling, the Red Devils boss David Moyes may have to look elsewhere. Here are four that could interest him.
With David Moyes under increasing pressure to secure a star signing to herald his new era at Old Trafford, Manchester United have made one final attempt to land Barcelona's Cesc Fabregas.
After missing out on Thiago Alcântara to the newly-crowned European champions Bayern Munich,
the Red Devils are now hoping their £34 million offer will be enough to
tempt their European rivals into finally doing business.
But what if Moyes, yet to make a major signing this summer, is rejected once more?
Here are four players he could turn to instead:
Yohan Cabaye
Last weekend it was revealed
that United consider the 27 year old Frenchmen, who Newcastle bought for
just £4.5 million from Lille two years ago, to be the perfect 'plan C'
option to Thiago and Fabregas.
The champions would however, yet
again, face competition from a major continental rival as Paris St.
Germain are said to have been admirers of Cabaye's talents for some
time. Claudio Ranieri, striving to secure at least Champions League
football for his newly-promoted Monaco side, is also said to be keen on
the the Toon's international star.
Moyes' hand has been
considerably strengthened though by the news that the £15 million-rated
man would prefer to stay in the Premier League. Sir Alex Ferguson's
successor has made no secret of the fact that he wants a box-to-box
midfield anchor to replace former talisman Paul Scholes, and is growing
uneasy with the slow progress being made.
With Cabaye said to be bemused
by the club's new director of football, Joe Kinnear, who recently called
him 'Kabab', perhaps now would be the best time for his suitors to
strike.
Luka Modric
United's executive vice chairman, Ed Woodward, has been tasked with transfer dealings
and, if Barca do indeed slam the door firmly shut on Moyes' plans
to lure Arsenal's former captain, he may be forced into turning his sights to another La Liga star.
After
enduring a difficult first few months at the Bernabeu, the former Spurs
man steadily acclimatised to life in Spain under Jose Mourinho. That
was not enough though, it soon became clear, to prevent him from being
labelled as one of the worst buys in Spanish football's history by Marca
readers earlier this year.
With the World Cup lying perilously on
the horizon, the £33 million attacking midfielder will be wary that
another year of mediocrity could put his place in the Croatian starting
line-up in doubt. After showing the Premier League his sparkling best,
perhaps a move back to a more familiar stage will help Luka get back in
the game.
Marouane Fellaini
Despite Roberto Martinez's fervent claims
to the contrary, Everton's impervious lynchpin looks set to leave
Goodison Park this summer. Scoring twelve times last season, Fellaini
has proven his goal scoring acumen - once considered to be the chink in
his amour. It would appear though that Moyes could turn out to be his
own worst enemy as the £15 million he spent on the Belgian star in 2008
would surely bump up the Toffees' asking price.
United's only hope
would be the rumoured release clause, suggested to stand at around £22
million, but that is set to be deactivated in August. Add to the fact
that Martinez seems to be as reluctant to sell as every other manager
who Moyes has attempted to deal with, and it would appear that more
frustration awaits him.
"He's still a very young man but I am
really looking forward to seeing Marouane working hard and making sure
that he sets really good standards," the new Everton coach said.
"Marouane is an international footballer and he's going to be involved,
if all goes well, in a World Cup next year."
Daniele de Rossi
Admittedly this one is a stretch, at best, but with United
missing out on every player they show a remote amount of interest in,
they may like to do some poaching of their own. After engaging in a PR
war with Chelsea in recent weeks, with a number of claims and counter
claims emanating from both clubs over the Wayne Rooney saga, Moyes would
perhaps like nothing more than to capture one of his title rivals’
prime summer targets.
At twenty nine years old, the powerful
Italian is slowly edging towards the latter years of his career. However
if any club is designed to help players to perform at their best into
their thirties, it’s Manchester United.
Roma, like many Italian
sides of late, are shifting their focus towards younger players and so
could be open to the idea of letting their World Cup winning midfielder
pursue a career elsewhere - should they be adequately compensated. With
Mourinho admitting it’s “Rooney or bust” for Chelsea
this summer, maybe they've left the backdoor too far ajar on the De
Rossi deal. It’s definitely wide enough for someone like Moyes to creep
through undetected.
source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/manchester-united-transfers-cesc-fabregas-2077796
Tiada ulasan:
Catat Ulasan