Manchester United have been linked with the signing of Lazio midfielder Lucas Biglia, but it doesn't make much sense.
Having added Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger already this summer, it looked like Manchester United's midfield spending was over. However, recent rumours have suggested that they're not quite done yet, with Argentine international Lucas Biglia having reportedly agreed personal terms on a move from Italian club Lazio to Louis van Gaal's outfit.
On Tuesday, Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur added fuel to the fire, claiming that United's manager had been in touch with one of Biglia's former managers at Anderlecht to make enquiries about the Argentine's talents. Even if this transfer isn't quite as advanced as some would have us believe, it seems that United have at least considered Biglia as an option:
Louis v Gaal called a former Anderlecht manager at the beginning of July. He had 1 question: "Is Biglia good enough for #MUFC?" (@hlnsport)
— Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) August 11, 2015
Why it makes sense
Lucas Biglia is a pretty good defensive midfielder, and played an important role in Argentina's run to the World Cup final last summer. He's also 29 years old, so while he'd add intelligent positioning and tough tackling to United's midfield, they should be able to get him for a relatively low fee. Van Gaal may well consider himself to be getting good bang for his buck.
Why it doesn't make sense
However, this rumour looks more like nonsense than sense. United have strengthened their midfield over the summer to the point that they're now having to drop last season's star performer, Ander Herrera. If anything, they're overburdened in the centre of the field, and now have former Southampton man Schneiderlin to fill the holding role in which Biglia excels.
Sure, Schneiderlin is the only natural in that position, and so it'd be nice for United to have a little more depth in front of the defence. However, spending upwards of £20 million for depth just doesn't make sense at present. They're still dramatically short of options in attack and are unlikely to win the league with Chris Smalling and Daley Blind playing at centre-back. Midfield isn't their problem area; they're likely to be prioritising other moves.
There's also the crucial matters of quality and age. Biglia is a good player but not a great one, and at 29 he's only going to decline. With Michael Carrick now 34 and Bastian Schweinsteiger 30, any midfielders they now bring in should be with an eye to the future. Otherwise, they risk suffering the same midfield woes they had when Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down and left Tom Cleverley as a regular feature of United's first-team.
Likelihood it happens
Despite some sources suggesting a deal is close to completion, we're not buying it. This transfer makes too little sense for United, whose priorities will surely lie elsewhere. Let's give it a 2/10 chance of it happening.
This is a post from our transfer rumors section. For news, analysis and more, check out the main SB Nation Soccer page.
Source: Jack Sargeant http://ift.tt/1J4l8wv
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