Manchester United are pressing ahead with plans to sign Bastian Schweinsteiger after identifying the Bayern Munich and Germany player as a leading midfield target this summer.
Louis van Gaal is also keen to bring Kevin Strootman to Old Trafford, but with the Holland midfielder not expected to return to action until the autumn after a serious knee injury, any prospective transfer would be unlikely to be formally completed until next year should Roma, his club, want to sell.
Although Van Gaal has made purchasing a world-class central defender his priority after the departures of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic — Mats Hummels, of Borussia Dortmund, is a target — the incoming manager is also determined to address United’s weaknesses in midfield. David Moyes, who was sacked as United manager in April, had been keen to sign Toni Kroos — in addition to one of Cesc Fàbregas, Paul Pogba or Arturo Vidal — but Van Gaal has asked the United hierarchy to focus on Schweinsteiger, Kroos’s Bayern and Germany team-mate whom he managed during his two-year spell in charge of the Bavarian giants.
Schweinsteiger enters the final two years of his contract at Bayern this summer and Pep Guardiola, the coach of the German champions, is believed to be prepared to part company with the 29-year-old for the right price. A key lieutenant under Jupp Heynckes, Schweinsteiger — who would cost about £25 million — is not thought to enjoy the same relationship with Guardiola and is willing to consider leaving the club he first joined as a 13-year-old.
United had hoped to do a chunk of their transfer business before the World Cup, but Moyes’s sacking threw a spanner in the works, especially with Van Gaal telling the club to end their pursuit of certain targets identified by his predecessor.
A deal with Southampton for Luke Shaw, the England left back, has been agreed in principle and is likely to be announced after the World Cup, with United eager to tie up other potential signings.
