Man Utd prepare to launch massive bid for Dortmund playmaker

After slumping to three defeats in as many games, David Moyes is prepared to flex Manchester United’s financial muscle and to solve the club’s creativity crisis the Scot has made Ilkay Gundogan his top target.

Odds of 13/8 for the Red Devils to finish in this season’s top four in January is almost unfathomable given the decades of dominance everyone has grown accustomed to them enjoying, but on a basis of recent form and seasonal inconsistencies few will be wading in with a punt on this price.

One of the reasons behind their on-pitch problems is their midfield lacks in world class talent, especially when it comes to prising open opposition defences with precision passing.

Dortmund’s Gundogan oozes classy qualities just like this one and would slot perfectly into the heart of the club’s three-man midfield.

As desperation sets in, Moyes is prepared to do what it takes to tempt die Borussians to part with yet another of their top talents, with a bid as high as £24m being readied for the German international.

Gundogan has endured a frustrating season at the Westfalenstadion, where a back injury his restricted the 23-year-old to just 57 minutes of action this term.

This hasn’t perturbed the United boss though, for he knows just how good the Bundesliga winner can be when fit. In 28 appearances in the German top flight last time around, he finished the campaign with an 87 per cent pass accuracy rate, as well as three assists and laid on a further 15 unconverted chances from his orchestrating position deep in the Dortmund midfield.

Contrast this to the no assists that the man he’d likely be ousting from the United side, Tom Cleverley, has managed in 2013/14 so far.

With just 18 months lingering on Gundogan’s current Dortmund deal, the club will surely not risk losing another star for nothing in the same way they recently lost Bayern-bound Robert Lewandowski, so if United stump up the cash in January, they could certainly get their man.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date

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