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Manchester United look set to be making a surprise bid for World Cup superstar Thomas Muller.

The Independent has reported that Louis van Gaal believes the German ticks all the boxes for his team and his philosophy. With Manchester United being weak up front the manager is looking to improve his attacking options for next season. Muller and van Gaal have a fantastic relationship as the 25-year-old midfielder had his career breakthrough whilst the Dutchman was in charge at Bayern Munich. It is believed Muller has a £40million price tag but Van Gaal would be a very happy man if they managed to entice such a star to the club.

The rumours started that a move might be possible, earlier in May, when Muller opened up in a press conference about his “special relationship” with the 63-year-old leader. Muller told the press, “Louis van Gaal and I have a relationship that goes beyond that which is normal between a player and a coach.” The German has a contract with Bayern until at least 2017 with an option to extend until 2019 so it is unlikely he could be joining this season but Van Gaal is a very determined man.

It was believed that van Gaal was interested in signing Muller last season but Bayern made sure the midfielder signed a new contract whilst he was in Brazil at the World Cup with Germany so van Gaal, who was then managing the Dutch national side, could not entice him away from them.

Van Gaal has spent the season, teaching his players how he likes to play football but as the transfer window draws closer it looks like van Gaal is looking to bring in players who already know his style. The Red Devil’s first signing, Memphis Depay, has played under the gaffer before so will fit straight into his team. This is unlike Angel Di Maria who, despite having a lot of talent, has struggled to find form this campaign. Van Gaal does not want to bring in another set of players who he has to teach again and Muller is versatile, determined and a strong player who also knows just how the Dutchman likes to set up his team and the philosophy behind it.

While Muller would fit into the team extremely well, the German World Cup winner is still a beloved favourite at Bayern Munich. At Manchester United there have been many rumours that Robin van Persie, who was instrumental in his first season for the club but has struggled this campaign, could be out of the club during the summer transfer window. The Dutchman’s future at the club is in doubt and with van Gaal looking to raid his own club; Muller would be the perfect replacement. He has scored 21 goals and racked up 13 assists in all competitions this season and would be the perfect replacement with out of luck van Persie who could be on his way to Roma.

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Muller is Bayern Munich’s version of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard so it will take an awful lot to make him be tempted to leave the club but if the right offer was on the table there is a chance he could be tempted away and it would be only for one reason – his relationship with Louis van Gaal.

If you cast your mind back to last summer, Southampton had lost their manager to Spurs, sold most of their best players to Liverpool and brought in a new manager in the shape of Ronald Koeman – a relative novice when it comes to Premier League football. And despite all of the above, the Saints managed their best ever Premier League season, leaving those who predicted relegation for the South Coast side with faces redder Fergie’s nose.

Koeman’s men of course achieved this through, in part, good signings like Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pelle. Koeman’s knowledge of Eredivise was vital as the club bagged two names others had overlooked in the past.

Now to this summer, and the Saints have already sold a couple of their big performers from last season in Nathaniel Clyne to Liverpool (shock) and Morgan Schneiderlin to Man United. Suggestions of a relegation threatened campaign have been mooted for the Saints in some corners. Sound familier?

But as we saw last season, write the Saints off at your peril and Koeman will trust his instincts in the transfer market to challenge, and perhaps improve on, last season’s achievements.

One man the Dutchman will be hoping can fill the boots of departed midfielder Schneiderlin is fellow Oranje, Jordy Clasie, signed from Feyenoord for £8.4m.

Koeman already appears confident of the impact that Clasie will have in Hampshire.

He told Sky Sports: “He’s a perfect replacement for Morgan in that position.

“I know that because I worked for three seasons with Jordy. Of course, he’s still not Schneiderlin – but he’s still young, he has to develop, he has to adapt to the Premier League, the intensity is what you need. It’s a great signing.”

Koeman is evidently confident in his signing, already hailing the Dutch international as “great”, but will he be the man the Saints need? And how will he adjust to the Premier League?

These are key questions, but for just £8.4m it does look like another great bit of business by the Saints manager.

As Clasie is just 24-years-old, like Koeman said, he has time to develop and he will improve as he plays, so in a couple of good seasons it is quite possible that Clasie could easily be worth double what Southampton paid for him.

That is looking far ahead, however, and Saints fans will just be hoping that Clasie can fill the sizeable boots of their former midfielder for now.

When comparing the two there is a big difference in terms of height. Clasie stands at just 5ft 7″, whereas the Schneiderlin is more imposing at 6ft 1″. But both players perform similar roles for their sides – defensive midfielders capable of winning the ball and controlling the midfield. Clasie’s lack of height may be a worry to some, however, it shouldn’t be. He more than makes up for it in his aggressive, tenacious style which allows him to compete in the midfield. And it is this style and intensity in his play that will help the Dutchman to make an easy transition to the Premier League.

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Clasie is not exactly the same player as Schneiderlin, but the Netherlands international will be able to offer the Saints something else. He is not a prolific goalscoring midfielder, but Clasie has more creative abilities in his game.

He is arguably a better passer, has better vision on the ball and has the ability to open defences up far more than Schneiderlin.

He won’t perform the exact same role, yet Clasie is a very shrewd signing for the Saints and he is the right man to replace Schneiderlin.

According to reports on Italian media outlet Tuttomercatoweb, Premier League sides Stoke City and Watford have joined Serie A giants Napoli in the race to sign Ajax winger Amin Younes during the January transfer window.

The 24-year-old has been with the Eredivisie club since 2015, but he doesn’t want to extend his contract that is due to run out next summer, and he is looking more and more likely to leave the Dutch capital next month.

The Germany international is wanted by Napoli, who are ready to offer the player a five-year contract worth €1.5m (approximately £1.33m) per year according to Tuttomercatoweb, but they are reportedly concerned about the financial offers that the attacker could attract from the likes of Stoke in the English top flight.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United are just a point above the relegation zone following their 1-0 defeat to runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City at St James’ Park on Wednesday night, and manager Rafa Benitez will be keen to strengthen his goal-shy squad in the New Year.

The experienced Spaniard may be particularly concerned about his attacking options, and bringing Younes to Tyneside could prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons Newcastle should hijack Stoke’s bid to sign the German…

Competition out wide

Considering Newcastle have only scored 19 goals in their 20 Premier League matches so far this season, Benitez may well be looking to bring in some competition in the wide positions to try and boost the creativity in his team given he usually favours a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 formation.

While he has the likes of Christian Atsu, Matt Ritchie, Jacob Murphy and Rolando Aarons available to him, he may want to add a little more competition and quality on the flanks and bringing Younes to St James’ Park would certainly do that.

His qualities

While he has struggled with injury and for form with Ajax this season, his overall record with the Dutch giants proves that he would be a brilliant addition for Newcastle.

The 24-year-old has scored 17 goals and provided a further 24 assists from out wide during his time in the Dutch capital, with his performances being rewarded with five full Germany caps, in which he has netted twice.

According to WhoScored.com, the winger’s strengths are his passing, ability to hold on to the ball, ability to make key passes and his dribbling, and he has successfully completed 39 of the 64 take-ons he has attempted in just nine Eredivisie appearances this season, while he managed 99 in 29 league games last term.

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Price tag

Benitez may not have the biggest of budgets in the January transfer window, and the fact that Younes’ contract runs out in the summer means that if Ajax choose to sell the 24-year-old next month, it should be for a cut-price fee.

That is certainly something that will appeal to Newcastle and their Spanish manager if they are aiming to bring quality players to St James’ Park for a potentially low price, and it should also mean that they are able to offer a more lucrative financial package for the Germany international in order to persuade him to join them over the other interested parties.

Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.

After a successful training camp in Florida, Rangers return to competitive action this weekend with a visit to Highland League side Fraserburgh in the Scottish Cup.

Light Blues fans are currently enjoying an exciting January transfer window in which they’ve seen a number of first team improvements made to Graeme Murty’s squad at Ibrox.

On paper it should be a routine victory for the club against part-time opposition, but as has been shown throughout football history, knockout cup competitions can often through up huge surprises.

While Murty must guard against a humiliating cup upset, it’s still a chance to make multiple changes to his tried and tested first team eleven and perhaps hand out some debuts to some of the stars that have arrived at the club this month.

Rangers fans are eager to see what their new men have in store and what better opportunity than in a match they should dominate possession and chances in.

These are the THREE players that Murty must play on Sunday…

Sean Goss

Former Manchester United academy talent Sean Goss has headed north for the second half of the season to gain some valuable first team football on loan from Queens Park Rangers, having only ever made six senior appearances in his career so far.

That’s a low number at any age, but now 22, he desperately needs experience under his belt if he’s ever going to forge a successful career for himself and after featuring for Graeme Murty’s side in friendlies during the mid-season break, he’s well placed to make his debut against Fraserburgh on Sunday.

Given the lowly status of the opposition, it’s the perfect chance to blend him into the Rangers starting eleven and introduce him to competitive action at the club.

Murty spoke earlier this month about his ability to dictate the tempo of matches and given the Light Blues more composure in the middle of the park, so it’ll interesting to see if the loanee can put this into action from the off.

Jamie Murphy

Jamie Murphy is arguably the January signing that has excited Rangers supporters most this month, with fans desperate to see whether he can inject a bit of life into a left flank area that’s badly needed reinforcement all season.

Murphy is a proven attacking talent and has history in the Scottish Cup itself, scoring five goals in his last five appearances in the competition before making his move from Motherwell to Sheffield United.

He hasn’t had much game time this season so Graeme Murty needs to give him time on the pitch to get him up to speed for tougher Scottish Premiership matches ahead, not least Wednesday night’s huge encounter against Aberdeen.

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Jason Cummings

Another player who Rangers are excited to see in action is former Hibs man Jason Cummings. Many supporters wanted the club to sign him before he made the switch to Nottingham Forest last summer and now he’s finally at Ibrox, they’ll be hoping he can replicate his Scottish Championship scoring form.

There’s the potential he could form a formidable partnership with Alfredo Morelos and fans will be expecting him to score plenty of goals in the second half of the season.

He has a lot to prove at Ibrox given he’s never excelled in the top division of Scottish Football, but Sunday could be the perfect confidence booster, with an opportunity to grab a debut goal or two against Highland League opposition and start his Rangers career in perfect fashion.

Reported Liverpool target Manuel Lanzini scored a brace for West Ham United in their 4-1 win against Huddersfield Town at the John Smith’s Stadium on Saturday, and Reds fans have urged their club to sign the 24-year-old.

The Sun reported earlier this month that the Irons playmaker is Jurgen Klopp’s first-choice target to replace Philippe Coutinho this month, and he certainly did his chances of earning a move no harm at all with two goals against the Terriers.

The Argentina international has become a key player for the east London outfit across the past couple of seasons, and he certainly looks to have the ability to play for a bigger Premier League club.

Liverpool supporters were quick to have their say on his latest display via social media, and while one said ‘I’d rather sign Lanzini than Mahrez’, another said he “seems extremely suited to our style of play”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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According to Sky Sports, Everton are confident of agreeing a Deadline Day deal for Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala.

What’s the word?

Sky Sports claim Everton have been on the prowl for a left-sided defender since the summer – most likely because they have limited cover for Leighton Baines at left-back – and Manchester City’s deal for Aymeric Laporte, confirmed yesterday, appears to have freed up Mangala, who has been a marginal figure at the Etihad Stadium since Pep Guardiola’s appointment in summer 2016. He spent last season out on loan at Valencia and has made just four Premier League starts so far this term.

Why hasn’t it worked out for Mangala at City?

In truth, Mangala was probably never worth the £32million City paid for him and it’s a classic case of a club signing the wrong player for the way they like to play. Even under Manuel Pellegrini, City employed a high line and looked to keep the ball as much as possible, but that philosophy only highlighted the France international’s weaknesses – he’s never been the most convincing on the ball and when the defence is pushed up so high, any mistakes in possession inevitably lead to counter-attacking opportunities. As Mangala’s confidence waned amid heavy criticism of his performances, City reached a point where opposing forward lines were targeting him as a vulnerability.

Can Everton get more out of him?

Most definitely. The 26-year-old isn’t a poor footballer by any stretch of the imagination and Sam Allardyce is the perfect manager to show what he’s really about by reducing his game to a far more basic level – namely, using his beastly physicality to protect the box. There’s a similarity here with Mamadou Sahko; unconvincing and sometimes a liability during his time at Liverpool, but an absolute monolith at the back during Big Sam’s six months at Crystal Palace where vastly improved defensive performances spared them from relegation.

Unlike City, Everton won’t use a high line and they won’t constantly look to build from the back, so there will be far less pressure on Mangala when he’s in possession, and far more support for him if he does lose the ball. That should, in turn, restore Mangala’s confidence and move him something closer towards the powerful defender that was so widely revered during his time at FC Porto. It’s a smart signing from Allardyce and certainly isn’t the first time he’s sought to get the best out of a player whose stock has reached a disappointing low.

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Tottenham Hotspur managed to rescue a draw against Liverpool on Sunday after a dramatic 90 minutes at Anfield in the English Premier League.

With the Reds scoring within 3 minutes thanks to Mohamed Salah, Spurs had to remain patient for their equaliser, which came through a rocketed Victor Wanyama goal of the season contender in the 80th minute.

Liverpool looked like they had grabbed the three points when Salah scored again injury time, but Harry Kane netted a penalty to score his 100th Premier League goal and bring a point back to London.

Spurs fans were pleased with the result in the circumstances, but had hoped some of their players could have performed better across the 90 minutes including the likes of Eric Dier and Kieran Trippier.

Trippier’s performance rankled many, the belief being that he doesn’t possess enough quality in the wide areas to be an effective full-back force, especially in games against the top six sides in the country.

Supporters took to Twitter to discuss his performance…

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It has been yet another season of inconsistency and disappointment at West Ham.

From the early season turmoil of Slavan Bilic’s reign, to the wholly unpopular appointment of David Moyes, Hammers fans have been left frustrated at goings on both on and off the field.

While the team have improved their performances since the arrival of Moyes, the Hammers are still perilously close to the relegation places, with just four points separating them and Southampton in 18th.

However, there have been a few bright flickers of enjoyment in an otherwise forgettable season in East London.

One of these flickers is Angelo Ogbonna, whose performances have been much improved during this campaign.

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Missing just five Premier League games all campaign, the Italian international, who is valued at £8.1million by Transfermarkt, has been rock solid at the heart of defence and has become a firm favourite at the London Stadium.

When a couple of West Ham fan twitter accounts asked fellow supporters who they would consider their Hammer of the Year, the answer was pretty unanimous…

According to The Mirror, Swansea City midfielder and former West Ham United man Leon Britton has made a big claim ahead of the meeting between the two teams at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday after saying the Welsh club have the survival experience to beat the drop this season.

The Swans come into the clash against the Irons in 18th position following their 4-1 defeat against Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium last weekend, but they are only in the relegation zone due to their inferior goal difference and are only three points behind David Moyes’ 13th-placed side.

Carlos Carvalhal’s men have also won six successive home matches in all competitions, and 35-year-old Britton says they are confident of retaining their top flight status having also narrowly avoided the drop last term.

The midfielder told The Mirror: “The last couple of years have been tough but now we are in a situation we have been in before and we have got out of it.

“We know what it takes and what we have got to do. We have to call on that experience and use it in difficult periods.”

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West Ham will be looking to bounce back from their 4-1 defeat against Liverpool last Saturday ahead of their trip to south Wales, and they will need to be better than their last match on the road against a relegation rival – they were beaten 3-1 by Brighton last month.

According to reports, both Arsenal and Liverpool are keen on Barcelona U-16s full back Joel López.

What’s the story?

Barcelona’s famous La Masia has produced no end of talented youngsters for the club, with names like Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Lionel Messi all progressing through the club’s fabled farmhouse.

However, more and more La Masia graduates are now leaving the club with opportunities limited by big money signings, and reports suggest wonderkid López could be the next to leave.

According to Sport, Barcelona are desperate to tie down the flying left-back to a long-term deal, but so far have been unsuccessful. López joined the Catalan giants in 2011 from CE Vila Olímpica, and is well respected at the club for his maturity and physical strength at such a young age.

Who will win the race?

Arsenal and Liverpool both have a knack for identifying young talent and developing it, but there is no doubt that Liverpool would be the better choice if the youngster were to leave Barcelona.

If Arsene Wenger does leave North London, the club could be faced with a lengthy period of uncertainty. Compare that to Merseyside, where Jürgen Klopp is finally starting to see the fruits of his long-term plans at Liverpool, and it’s a clear choice for the youngster.

By the time López is ready for first team action, Klopp’s plan will be fully in place with players like Mohamed Salah, Naby Keita and Virgil Van Dijk all firmly amid their primes.

Combine that with the sensational emergence of 19 year-old Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Liverpool could have a young full back duo that would make any team jealous.

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Liverpool fans, would you like Klopp to swoop for the Barcelona starlet? Let us know in the comments below…

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