It’s been a quiet summer thus far for Manchester United, but it looks like the dominoes will soon start falling.
United have already strengthened their defense with the future in mind with the signing of Chris Smalling from Fulham, but Sir Alex Ferguson could soon bolster the back line for the present. According to the Daily Mail, United are once again interested in Bayern Munich right back Philipp Lahm, a player who‘s been on their radar for the last couple of years.
Previously, United’s interest has been nothing more than that, but it appears that now is the perfect time for them to make a concrete move for the 26-year-old, who was Germany’s stand-in captain at the World Cup after Michael Ballack was ruled out due to injury. It’s been reported in the last couple of days that Bayern have made an approach for highly-rated Ajax right back Gregory Van der Wiel, and that news can only boost Ferguson’s confidence in finally being able to land Lahm.
However, there is one potential complication, as Bayern are interested in Park Ji-Sung, and any offer that United make could well need to include the versatile and dependable South Korean, who only signed a new contract last September.
But as invaluable as Park has been during his time at the club, he could stand to receive more regular starts at Bayern, so such a move could appeal to him, despite a previously stated desire to finish out his career at United.
Besides that, even if might not appear that right back is that pressing of a need, take a closer look, and it’s safe to say that United would be smart to take advantage of the perfect timing to land one of the best defenders in the game.
United aren’t exactly short on options at right back right now, with Gary Neville, Wes Brown, and Rafael da Silva all in the reckoning on the right. However, Neville’s career is winding down, and both he and Brown have been beset by injuries over the last few seasons. And Rafael, though he looks to be the right back of the future, isn’t quite ready to assume the full-time role as of yet.
With Bayern already having earmarked Van der Wiel to repalce Lahm, the door is open for United to pounce. And perhaps Fergie won’t have to park with Park after all, as Bayern could prefer a straight cash offer in order to help fund their move for the Dutch international.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
