Serie A is by no means the footballing powerhouse it once was; a footballing powerhouse that once spent £30million on a goalkeeper back when £30million was still a ridiculous amount of money.
But Italian football seems to be back on the rise. Top flight champs Juventus reached the Champions League final at the end of last season, only to be put to the sword by Barcelona, and Serie A could soon take the Premier League’s fourth qualification spot in Europe’s top tournament if the poor results of English clubs continue.
Yet, the finance of the Premier League remains unrivaled, spending more than double of it’s Italian counterpart during the summer transfer window. So if you’re looking to source top talent for relatively cheap, Serie A is certainly a decent place to start.
With that in mind and the rumour mill still turning, here’s a list of FIVE Serie A stars reportedly on Manchester United’s transfer radar.
Which of these would you like to see turn up at Old Trafford in January? Comment below!
LUCAS BIGLIA
It seems a month doesn’t pass without reports linking Lucas Biglia with a move to Manchester United and October has been no different – courtesy of talkSPORT.
The Argentina midfielder, who featured for his country against Germany in last summer’s World Cup final, is famed for the control and composure he brings to the engine room; last term recording 2.4 tackles and 2.4 interceptions per match alongside a pass completion rate of 88%.
The 29-year-old has been in even better form this season, grabbing two goals and one assist in just three appearances for Lazio.
But an ongoing contract dispute has reportedly left Biglia a little unsettled at the Stadio Olympico – which could pave the way for a Red Devils bid in January.
FELIPE ANDERSON
Another known long-term target of the Red Devils currently plying his trade with Lazio. Manchester United are believed to have seen a £29million bid for Felipe Anderson turned down during the final week of the summer transfer window.
The 22-year-old was in phenomenal form last season, bagging ten goals and seven assists in just 23 Serie A starts to earn a call-up to the Brazil squad in June and emerge as one of the Italian top flight’s most exciting prospects.
He’s equally adept in the roles of scorer or provider and seems comfortable in any position across the attacking midfield berth – although is primarily considered a right winger.
Chelsea are also rumoured admirers of the former Santos youngster, so they and United will be delighed to hear that Anderson is reportedly ‘unhappy’ at the Stadio Olympico after starting the season on the subs bench.
Regardless, however, Lazio clearly have high hopes for the South American midfielder and won’t be letting him leave on the cheap.
Daniele Rugani
Juventus hotshot Daniele Rugani is one of Italian football’s most promising defensive prospects and has been linked with Manchester United as recently as September, courtesy of The Daily Star.
The Serie A champs signed the prodigious centre-back in summer 2013 but allowed him to continue his development at former club Empoli over the last two seasons as part of a co-ownership agreement.
Last term, he featured in every minute of Empoli’s league campaign to help them secure a 15th place finish in the top flight, averaging an impressive 1.3 tackles, 0.9 interceptions, 6.9 clearances and 2.8 aerial duels per match.
He’s returned to Turin this season but is still waiting for his first outing as a Juve player, prompting the 21-year-old’s agent to recently claim he’d be ‘more than happy’ to join a top Premier League club.
Arsenal saw a £13million bid rejected during the summer however – so convincing Juve to sell will clearly require a significant fee.
KAMIL GLIK
Another defender reportedly on the Old Trafford radar is Torino’s Kamil Glik, who you may remember featuring for Poland against England during the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
He’s pretty much everything you’d expect from a 6 foot 3 Polish centre-half – towering, rugged and aggressive – but is also solid on the ball, this term recording a pass completion rate of 92.7% . Only three Serie A players boast better.
The 27-year-old is seen as a more left-field option to United’s limits at the heart of defence. He should be available for relatively cheap too, with his Torino contract now into its final two years.
There’s been plenty of talk about an extension but nothing has materialised just yet. So if Glik enters next summer without a new deal, we could see the Red Devils launch a formal bid.
GONZALO HIGUAIN
Easily the best striker not involved in the Champions League this season, Gonzalo Higuain is on pretty much everybody’s radar at the minute.
Indeed, the Argentina international boasts a career return of 223 goals in 467 appearances throughout his spells with Albiceleste, River Plate, Real Madrid and the Naples outfit and has started the current campaign in equally strong fashion, netting five times in seven outings.
Higuain’s made a career from his proficiency in the box but he can be a creative presence too, racking up 17 assists in 75 Serie A outings since moving to Napoli from the Bernabeu in summer 2013.
The 27-year-old was strongly linked with a Premier League move during the summer as a consequence of Napoli missing out on Champions League qualification – with Manchester United mooted as potential suitors.
With the Red Devils still short of title-winning firepower, we could see a bid in January if Napoli’s current league standing of 6th place doesn’t improve.
