Manchester United were dealt a blow in their chase for Arturo Vidal, but they could yet land some highly-gifted players in the mould of Daley Blind, Memphis Depay and Juan Cuadrado as another day of transfer news and rumours swept by in the blink of an eye.
Vidal is seen as the number one target for Manchester United this summer, and after reports suggested Ed Woodward had made a bid to try and prise the midfielder away from Juventus, the Chilean himself came out and revealed a move to Old Trafford, at the moment, looks unlikely.
There is still hope of a deal being done, though, with Vidal also admitting his future at Juventus was far from certain.
Moving onto another high-profile Serie A target for Manchester United, reports suggest that Juan Cuadrado's future could be signed, sealed and delivered before the end of the week with Fiorentina manager Vincenzo Montella determined to get some clarity on whether the Colombian winger will be staying or moving to another club this summer as soon as possible.
United were linked with a move for Cuadrado a few days back, with reports suggesting Louis Van Gaal had put in a bid for the highly-rated winger. Barcelona and Bayern Munich are also thought to be keen on the 26-year-old, but recent reports suggest the German champions have pulled out of a possible deal, leaving Manchester United and Barca to fight it out for the player's signature.
With Fiorentina also keen for a quick conclusion to the deal, Cuadrado could very well be the Red Devils' next summer signing – assuming of course, they beat Barcelona to the punch.
It is not a normal transfer day for Manchester United following Van Gaal's arrival, if they are not linked with a move for a Dutchman, and the latest one to be considered for a switch to Old Trafford is another winger Memphis Depay.
Depay put in a couple of impressive performances for the Netherlands, coached by Van Gaal, at the World Cup, and now, according to BBC's Mike Keegan, United are ready to firm up their move for the talented PSV Eindhoven attacker.
Staying with #mufc and Dutch players, believe club are monitoring Memphis Depay. Any move could see him loaned out for first year.
— Mike Keegan (@mikekeeganbbc) July 24, 2014
There could be a lot more Dutch flavour at Old Trafford next season, with United confident of beating out completion from Barcelona for the signature of the highly-coveted Daley Blind.
Manchester United have made a £17 million bid for the Ajax defender, and that offer trumps the one made by Barcelona, according to the Daily Express. Barca have also already sealed the signing of central defender Jeremy Mathieu from Valencia for a £16 million fee, and it remains to be seen if Luis Enrique will be open to making a move in the transfer market for another defender.
If that path does become clear, then Van Gaal will have a player in Blind, who can play in various positions – as a central defender, as a left-back and even in defensive midfield.
United have also been linked with moves for a couple more Netherlands internationals in Stefan De Vrij and defensive midfield rock Kevin Strootman. So, there could definitely be a considerable Oranje flavour at Manchester United before the start of the new season.
Meanwhile, a player who could be leaving Old Trafford is striker Javier Hernandez, with Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan interested in the Mexico international's signature, according to reports in Spain.
Hernandez is again expected to be fourth-choice striker at United, even if Van Gaal might play two strikers up front, and the 26-year-old could look at the possibility of making an exit.
United will reportedly listen to offers of £15 million or over for Hernandez, and Diego Simeone's Atletico remain in the driver's seat despite their signing of Mario Mandzukic from Bayern Munich.
