Manchester United could announce two big signings this week with Dani Alves and Nicolas Gaitan tipped to complete their respective transfers from Barcelona and Benfica.
Alves, who has failed to agree on a new deal with Barcelona, has been linked with a move to Manchester United for quite a while now, with various reports suggesting the Brazilian has already signed a pre-contract agreement with the English Premier League side.
While nothing has been confirmed yet, it does look like Alves is on his way out of Barcelona – even if some quarters suggest all the noises coming from the Brazilian's camp is a tactic to get the best possible contract out of the newly-crowned European champions – with Manchester United leading the chase.
Louis Van Gaal is on the lookout for a new right-back, after using right winger Antonio Valencia in that position for the majority of last season. Van Gaal clearly does not fancy Rafael in the position, and is expected to sign a right-back in the summer.
Alves will be a pretty good short-term solution for the club, especially if they fail to sign one of their primary right-back targets, believed to be Everton's Seamus Coleman and Southampton's Nathaniel Clyne, who looks like he might be staying with the Saints next season.
However, Manchester United, if they haven't already agreed a pre-contract that it, face competition from AC Milan for the signature of Alves, who admitted he has received a proposal from the Italian club.
"It would be a pleasure to join Milan," Alves told Sky Italia. "There is a proposal from Italy and I will evaluate all the alternatives before deciding."
United, if they do deem Alves as the perfect signing, have the upper hand in that they have Champions League football to offer the Brazilian.
Another South American who looks locked to make a move to Old Trafford is Gaitan, with fresh reports suggesting the Argentine has already agreed a switch from Benfica.
Gaitan is widely expected to leave the Portuguese club this season, and the tricky midfielder is on his way to sign for Manchester United, if the latest reports are to be believed.
According to the Metro, who cite a report in Record, Gaitan, who has also been linked with a move to Liverpool, is all set to complete a transfer to Manchester United, with the fee expected to be worth around the £20-25 million range, while the amount might decrease if Nani moves the other way on a permanent basis.
Manchester United are not exactly in need of another tricky playmaker, but if one of the big-name midfielders do move along in the summer, then Gaitan's signing could prove to be a masterstroke, because there is no doubting the Argentine's talent.
