La Liga line-ups suggest Man Utd double swoop probable
Published:Analysing the final round of fixtures before the closing of the transfer window can offer some hints as to which players are more likely than others to be leaving their respective clubs and the La Liga clash between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao has generated two bits of specific interest.
Angel di Maria and Karim Benzema both started for Carlo Ancelotti at the Bernabeu and this suggests that both are likely to stay.
Despite previous interest from Arsenal for the pair, it is now 1/5 that Di Maria remains at Real Madrid in the window and 1/10 that Benzema does the same.
The third name linked with a Madrid exit of late has been Mesut Ozil and the fact that he was left on the bench for the Bilbao fixture indicates that of the trio, he is the most likely to depart.
Like Di Maria, Ozil is 1/5 to remain at Real Madrid, but there could be some value in this case that he joins Arsenal (8/1) or more expectedly Manchester United (9/4).
Where Ozil would exactly fit at the Red Devils remains unknown, with Shinji Kagawa playing a similar role and Wayne Rooney showing some of his qualities in the draw with Chelsea.
Alternatively, it is 7/2 that Ozil simply leaves Real Madrid in the transfer window.
Meanwhile, for Bilbao, Ander Herrera was an unused substitute in their three-man midfield and Man Utd are already said to have offered €30m for his services.
An improved offer closer to his minimum fee release clause of €35m would not be a surprise as he would almost certainly improve on the options currently at the disposal of David Moyes.
Not only can he win tackles, he has good movement off the ball, he can take players on and he can create. A partnership with Ozil and Michael Carrick would give the Red Devils their strongest midfield in a decade.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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