EVERTON are determined to hold onto Séamus Coleman as Manchester United prepare a £15m bid for the Ireland full-back.
With United having dropped their interest in Southampton right-full Nathaniel Clyne - leaving the path clear for Liverpool to sign the England international - United boss Louis van Gaal has made the right back position one of his priorities this summer with former Sligo Rovers defender Coleman, the Dutchman’s ideal candidate.
However, Coleman’s club Everton believe United’s valuation of £15m is too low for the 26-year-old, who now has five full Premier League seasons under his belt with the Toffees.
United, under the management of David Moyes, tried desperately two years ago to bring another Everton full-back, Leighton Baines, to Old Trafford.
But Baines remained loyal to the Merseysiders, and manager Roberto Martinez is hopeful that Coleman will do the same.
However, United are expected to offer Coleman huge personal terms, which is likely to influence the deal going through.
Coleman still has two years of his contract to run at Goodison Park and Everton are under no pressure to sell.
However, at 26, the prospect of Champions League football, plus better terms, will appeal to the Donegal-born star.
United are also ready to enter talks with Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin, and Van Gaal has set a deadline of next Sunday to complete the deal.
While the French international has attracted the interest of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, it’s believed he will only sign for a club that can offer Champions League football.
Arsenal have been put off by the £25m asking fee, which means United are in the driving seat for the 25-year-old, with the Reds set to offer him a four-year deal.
Van Gaal is keen to wrap up the vast majority of his transfer targets before the club embark on their pre-season tour of the USA, which starts on July 17 with a game against Club America in Seattle, before taking on San Jose Earthquakes (July 21), Barcelona (July 25) and finishing up with a final game against Paris St Germain in Chicago on July 29.
Van Gaal, meanwhile, is ready to dump Ángel di María, the most expensive man in British football, after just one season in a straight swap deal for Paris St-Germain striker Edinson Cavani, according to reports.
Di María, who claimed last week that he unhappy in Manchester, cost United £59.7million last year, is, despite his failure to light up the Premier League last term, attracting interest from several top European clubs including European Cup winners Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Ligue 1 champions Paris St-Germain.
While Van Gaal is believed to have told Di María he can leave if a significant offer is made, the Dutchman is reticent over selling the Argentine to a club he regards as direct rivals in next season’s Champions League - Barcelona and Bayern.
A swap deal, though, with Paris St-Germain for Uruguay striker Cavani, may be considered a risk worth taking given Van Gaal’s need to bolster his strikeforce.
After scoring 78 league goals for Napoli in 104 appearances and 34 in 65 outings for PSG, the striker could be just the man to get United back on track following two trophyless seasons.
United who have already seen one bid of around £32 million rejected by Real Madrid for summer transfer target Sergio Ramos, have now been told they must pay a staggering £63m if they are to capture the Spain international, according to reports in Spain.
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