Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal is reportedly interested in Yohan Cabaye, who has also been linked with both Arsenal and Liverpool.
The France international only left the Premier League last January, when Newcastle United felt it impossible to refuse a £20million offer from Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain. This provided the midfield player with the UEFA Champions League football he so craved, but the return to his homeland hasn’t quite worked out as well as he might have anticipated.
Although Cabaye has featured in 11 of the capital club’s 13 league matches this term, only six have come from a starting position as Laurent Blanc instead prefers the trio of Blaise Matuidi, Marco Verratti and Thiago Motta. And he has yet to start in the premier club competition in European football, with all three of his appearances in Group F coming as a substitute.
It is believed that Blanc would be prepared to listen to offers for the 28-year-old, which would raise funds for players he feels could improve his options in other positions. Arsenal, who infuriated Newcastle with what Magpies manager Alan Pardew called a “disrespectful” bid of £10million for the player in the summer of 2013, are thought to remain interest in acquiring his services, whilst Brendan Rodgers would also jump at the chance of adding him to his Liverpool side.
And according to The Independent, van Gaal could also make a bid to lure Cabaye to Manchester. The United coach has endured a less than spectacular start to his career at Old Trafford, but he has been told he will be given funds to continue his rebuilding of the first team squad in January. And although a central defender remains his priority, the opportunity to sign the former Magpies midfielder, should it arise, would likely be a difficult one for the 63-year-old to resist.
