Man United preparing £51m double Serie A swoop

The transfer window may have been slammed shut but that hasn’t stopped Manchester United being linked with a big money move for Arturo Vidal.

Juventus’ Chilean star was the subject of the longest-running will they/won’t they storyline of the summer but United are now thought to have upped their interest and are preparing a January bid for the midfielder.

The Red Devils are not stopping there, however, with the deal likely to be a double swoop that could also see Angelo Ogbonna swap the Juventus Stadium for Old Trafford.

United manager Louis van Gaal failed to bolster his defensive ranks adequately in the summer, despite a £150m+ shopping spree, and as such a £51m bid to land the pair is reported to be imminent.

Van Gaal brought in Luke Shaw and Marcos Rojo over the summer and drafted in Daley Blind to protect his back four but after conceding 10 goals in their first six games the Dutchman has decided his back line needs shoring up.

United are priced at 8/13 for a top four finish this season but if the 16/1 odds on a successful title push are to shorten then reinforcements of the likes of Vidal and Ogbonna are a must.

The former is a tough-tackling midfielder who has inspired Juve to three league titles since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in 2011 but the latter is the type of player United desperately need.

The 26-year-old Italian international is a commanding presence in central defence blessed with the pace and technique of a young Rio Ferdinand.

With the centre backs already at Old Trafford seemingly not up to the task of replacing the real Rio and Nemanja Vidic quite yet Ogbonna’s arrival would be welcomed by the club’s fans.

Next up for United is the visit of Everton, for which the hosts are priced at 4/6 favourites.

The Toffees can be backed at 4/1 to take all three points, as they have done on three of the last four occasions, while the draw is billed as a 14/5 shot.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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