Manchester United are planning a £30million summer bid for Brazil international Felipe Anderson.
The Lazio midfielder is one of the most highly regarded talents in Europe and has just enjoyed a superb season, scoring 10 times in 32 appearances for the Serie A club as they qualified for next season's Champions League.
Anderson - not to be confused with his compatriot and namesake Anderson, whose spell at Old Trafford was an unqualified disaster - only recent signed a new five-year contract in Rome and would be difficult to prise away
But The Sun has reported that Louis van Gaal remains determined to sign the 22-year-old as he seeks to radically overhaul his attacking line-up in time for next season.
But The Sun has reported that Louis van Gaal remains determined to sign the 22-year-old as he seeks to radically overhaul his attacking line-up in time for next season.
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If Anderson did join this summer, it would pose more question marks over the future of Angel di Maria, the Argentina international having struggled to impress in his first season at Old Trafford.
“Am I worried? No, I’m totally relaxed," he said. "I have a contract with this club until 2016. Things could change now, but that all depends on Manchester United not me. I’m not going to be part of a puppet show.
“In August I’m 32. But I still have the ambition to play for another eight years. In a few years’ time I may have to accept that I will no longer play at the very highest level. I don’t think that moment is coming now. I still feel very, very fit.
Robin van Persie wants to stay at Manchester United
“Playing in the first-team is very important for me. This is why I will probably step down one level when I am 36 or 37. But not now. Whenever I have been fit at United I was playing in the first team all the time.
“I’ve seen too many players quit early. Most of them regret this soon after. I’ve seen those players in the national team and at my own clubs. Even big legends have regretted their retirement. Look at Paul Scholes.
“He did quit the game but he kept training and was missing football so much, because he knew he was still capable of playing at that level.”
De Gea is widely tipped to join Real Madrid this summer to replace Iker Casillas, but former United No1 Edwin van der Sar believes the Spaniard's loss would not be devastating for the club.
He told The Mirror: "Nobody is irreplaceable - that's always the case. A new player may need a little bit of adjustment or will take some time to see how the Premier League works and the different type of football.
"I don't know who the candidates are to replace him if he's going to leave the club. There's been a lot of talk lately, and if he wanted to stay, he probably would have signed a new contract by now.
"But I'm sure United, if David is going to leave, are going to find a good successor."
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