Report: Louis van Gaal not planning on strengthing squad until next summer
Manchester United's squad is apparently set to remain relatively untouched until the end of the season.
The Guardian reported on Wednesday that Louis van Gaal is not planning on strengthening his squad during the January transfer window, when top players are still involved in the Champions League and the Europa League. He will instead focus on doing so next summer.
The one exception to the plan, however, is if a "key target" becomes available. This likely refers to Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman or Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels. Both are players who Van Gaal has shown interest in acquiring and who are each dealing with a respective injury.
Van Gaal has already expressed his desire to land a "top-line central midfielder and central defender" at Old Trafford, but Roma manager Rudi Garcia and club owner James Pallotta have both stressed that Strootman is not for sale. Pallotta has gone as far to state that even a bid of 75 million pounds wouldn't be enough.
Hummels, meanwhile, has openly discussed leaving Dortmund at some point, but has also said that he "couldn't be happier at any other club in the world right now."
Of course, a lot can change between now and next summer, and Van Gaal reportedly has a sizable amount of money at his disposal once he chooses to pursue new players.
During the previous summer transfer window, United opened their wallet to the tune of £150.1 million on new signings, an expensive sum that saw the following six headline players arrive at Old Trafford:
- Angel Di Maria (£59.7 million)
- Ander Herrera (£28 million)
- Luke Shaw (£27 million)
- Marcos Rojo (£16 million)
- Daley Blind (£14 million)
- Radamel Falcao (£6 million loan fee)