Incoming Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal wants to make Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas his number one summer target after having ditched the idea of signing Bayern Munich’s Toni Kroos.
The Daily Star is reporting that the Dutchman wants to build his new team around the 27-year-old Spaniard and is prepared to offer Barcelona £40 million for the Spanish international which is £5 million more than the Catalans paid to Arsenal in 2011, along with a salary of £250,000 per-week.
Arsenal could still however decide Fabregas’s fate with the Gunners having the first right of refusal should Barcelona sell.
The current Dutch national team coach also wants to sign fellow countryman Kevin Strootman and Arjen Robben to play alongside van Persie at United in what people may start to call an orange revolution given the number of Dutch players that could end up at Old Trafford.
Nigel de Jong is also predicting success for van Gaal at United but tells people not to expect miracles overnight saying: “I think he will do well. The Premier League is not easy and it’s a big club, but I think he will do well because he has the experience at big clubs over the years.
“United need a manager who stands above the group and he’s that kind of coach. He’s very strict, he demands the best, but he can gel a team very well.
“He is a general, a kind of schoolteacher who tries to teach you a lot of things about how the game is going to be played.
“With the young players he can mould them into great footballers because he has so much experience.
“The training sessions are always good with Holland; the exercises are always good with a high intensity.
“With Van Gaal and United they have to rebuild the team because we saw what happened this year to them. It takes time to get success, though, and you can’t expect miracles immediately with Van Gaal there.
