Coral’s Rumour Reel: Van Gaal sparks Ronaldo Man Utd return hope
Published:
Sam Barnard, Assistant Sports Editor | November 22, 2015
On a cold and bitter morning across the UK, Coral hope to warm football fans and punters’ hearts with a super Sunday packed with tasty rumours, containing none less than concrete quotes from Louis van Gaal regarding a former Manchester United favourite.
Ronaldo return looking more and more on the cards
The Dutchman has given his strongest hint yet that he would like to re-sign the Portuguese superstar back to the Red Devils (4/1 to win the Premier League) from Real Madrid, following his side’s late win over Watford.
“We are looking at all players, not just Ronaldo. But these players are mostly ungettable,” Van Gaal said, before the punchline: “With Ronaldo, let’s wait and hope.
“Ronaldo plays on the wings and he is fast and scores goals,” he added of the 30-year-old, whose club would want to recoup as much of the £80m fee they paid for him as they can. “There is no trainer in the world that doesn’t like him.”
While any move for the three-time Ballon d’Or winner will almost certainly come in the summer, Van Gaal has suggested he needs a left back more urgently with Luke Shaw out for much, if not all, of the season.
The likes of Wolfsburg’s Switzerland international Ricardo Rodriguez and recently released from Roma former Chelsea star Ashley Cole are reported January targets.
As always, Man Utd are the topic of the transfer rumours, and West Bromwich Albion’s Saido Berahino and Daniele Rugani of Juventus have also been linked to Old Trafford, although Arsenal (2/1 title chances) also tracking the latter too.
Zlatan may fancy Arsenal switch
One name that the Manchester club seemingly won’t get their hands on, though, is Swede star Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Despite the PSG frontman suggesting he might be too old to play in the Premier League now, he is said to be tempted by a move to the Gunners in the summer when his contract runs out.
Talking of forwards, north London clubs and Berahino, Tottenham are apparently still interested in the Baggies attacker in spite of his now known poor attitude. However, if they fail with yet another bid for him, ex-AC Milan and Brazil wonderkid Pato could be an option.
London rivals Chelsea are also reportedly in the hunt for a striker as they sit in a lowly 15th in the table, and Gabon’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would certainly be a safe target after his scoring exploits for Borussia Dortmund this term so far.
Not to be confused by the name, from west of the city to east, West Ham United are scouring Europe for a replacement for playmaker Dimitri Payet, and AC Milan’s out-of-favour Japanese midfielder Keisuke Honda fits the bill.
Is Batshuayi rumour just false hope for Toon fans?
Elsewhere, way up in the Northeast, where Newcastle United fans certainly need a bit of warmth in terms of weather and good fortune after a dire start to the season, they are being linked with Marseille striker Michy Batshuayi.
A glitch in their hopes, however, could be that the Belgian is said to be worth £22m, although French side L’OM want closer to £35m, a sum that the Magpies (6/4 for relegation) have not spent anywhere near before.
So, there you have it for today folks, we hope you enjoyed Coral’s Rumour Reel before a Sunday of sporting action, which you’ll be able to view previews and other content for below.
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