David Moyes recently released his top transfer targets for the summer which include but are not limited to Marouane Fellaini, Cesc Fabregas and Thiago Alcantara. As the summer transfer window is sure to throw football fans for a whirlwind of a ride in the coming months, the newly appointed Manchester United manager should also consider this midfield gem – Ilkay Gundogan. As United are currently undergoing numerous changes in terms of front office staff and other transfer requests from who other than, Wayne Rooney – numerous other avenues may open up for England’s most storied club.
One of the most positive avenues that I’d like to see Moyes look towards would be at Borussia Dortmund’s 22-year-old midfielder, Gundogan. After successfully taking part in 26 Bundesliga appearances and breaking into Germany’s national squad, the pairing of Gundogan and Manchester United may just be a match made in heaven. Even two summers ago the German listed “Manchester United would obviously be my dream club.” Although Gundogan made this statement in 2011 at the age of 20, the promising link may still burn in the heart of the current BVB midfielder. Yet, spoken as a true professional he is, he notes that (via The Daily Express) “everyone has a childhood dream on what he would like to achieve one day and my dream always was to play in England or Spain.” Dreams can be fulfilled, with a price – and Gundogan’s is rumored to be around £17 million but whether or not he will remain loyal to the Champions League runners-up, remains to be fully seen.
Now questions arise, how would he fit in with the current Manchester United squad? Well, as Anderson and Nani are potential departures and Paul Scholes has since retired, United may be quick pressed to revamp their midfield. Michael Carrick has certainly proved his worth over recent seasons as has Ryan Giggs; however, as Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young suffer with injuries and fall out of form, Gundogan could offer a physical presence and stern German approach that Moyes may just like to employ in his newly acquired squad. More importantly, Gundogan could provide United with that all-telling killer pass that Scholes once graced Old Trafford while also remaining aware of his true talent which lies with the ball at his feet. Concentration, determination, and perseverance all accurately describe Ilkay Gundogan exceptionally well and if rumors continue to circle around the German youngster, Red Devils fans certainly will chomp at the bit to bring another Dortmund maestro to Manchester.
Despite all the positives we can draw upon Gundogan making a move to Old Trafford this summer, he seems to have indicated that he wants to continue with Dortmund despite Robert Lewandowski and Mario Gotze departing this summer. The very confident midfielder has indicated that “I can imagine a contract extension very well. Wholly I know I’m going to play net season at Borussia Dortmund.” Wouldn’t it be nice to dream of Gundogan making way to the Theatre of Dreams and helping bring the first major trophy to David Moyes’ trophy cabinet?
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Robert Moore is writing for SN on behalf of One United USA. Follow @Robert_Moore24 on Twitter.
