Sridhar Bhamidi
After signing Romelu Lukaku and coming out of their transfer slumber, Manchester United are expected to go full throttle in their summer plans. Strengthening the forward line should be his priority even though Lukaku’s signing eased some worries.
Jose Mourinho knows that the lack of goals was the bane of his side last season where they finished 6th in the Premier League. United mustered only 54 goals last season of which 19 came from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. With the Swede having left the club, United are looking for goals for proven performers despite the arrival of Lukaku.
Lukaku’s arrival would surely add steel and Jose wants to build a squad capable of bringing back the League title they last won under Sir Alex Ferguson four years back, even if that could mean rekindling their transfer romance with Bayern Munich forward Thomas Muller.
The German forward flirted with the idea of moving to Old Trafford when Louis van Gaal managed the club. Bayern for their part, resisted the temptation of a world record transfer even though Muller had very close ties with Van Gaal.
The German international spent his entire career at the Allianz Arena and for many Bavarians, he is a symbol of the club’s local presence. However, the forward struggled under Carlo Ancelotti last season, scoring just 9 goals from 42 matches.
Lack of form at club level effected his national team performances too as Muller struggled to display his usual goal-poaching skills. Having fallen down the pecking order, Muller will find the arrival of James Rodriguez at Bayern from Real Madrid complicate his chances.
The Colombian is a favourite of Ancelotti from his time at Madrid and will look to displace Muller. The Mirror says that James’ arrival could encourage the Red Devils to make a move for Muller.
Interestingly, James was continuously linked with a move to Old Trafford before choosing to go to Bayern on a two-season loan deal. With formidable options at his disposal, Ancelotti may not be averse to seeing Muller make a move.
However, signing Muler looks to be a far-fetched opinion as the German international is something of an icon in Bavaria and selling him could antagonise the Bayern fans. They might not want to sell Muller after all.
