Deal to sign Kevin Strootman imminent?

Kevin Strootman has been heavily linked to Manchester United for the last two-years and over the past few weeks talk of him being the first major signing of new manager David Moyes. Strootman is away in Israel at the moment representing the Netherlands U21 side, who last night beat Germany’s U21′s side 3-2. Talk of him signing for United has been hotting up for the last few days, which has excited many United supporters as the central midfield area has not really been given much attention over the last few years.

Former Premier League and Netherlands star George Boateng has spoken about Strootman and how he feels he would fit in at Old Trafford, if he was to sign for the club. He spoke exclusively to Sports Direct News, saying:

“I think he’d he a great signing for United.
“He’s got a great left-foot, he hasn’t got much pace but he’s a great thinker.
“He’s got passing range and vision – he’s like a better Michael Carrick.
When asked what kind of contribution Strootman can bring to Old Trafford in terms of goalscoring ability, Boateng said: “He can certainly score goals.”
“I don’t know whether he has the same box-to-box ability as a Paul Scholes.
“He’s more of a link player between defence and attack.
“I’m not sure if he’ll get 10-15 goals a year from midfield but he’ll make an impact because his set up play is fantastic.”

Boateng also suggested that United will have faced some opposition for the 23-year-olds signature from other major clubs and a deal is now close to being finalised. He continues by saying:

“A few years ago he was playing at Championship level in Holland so his progress has been remarkably fast.”
“In terms of today’s transfer market I’d say he would be worth between £15-20 million – and United will not have been the only team interested.”

Sports Direct News also suggest that their sources in Holland are saying that any deal which would bring Strootman to Old Trafford this summer is imminent as talks are now at an advanced stage.

“David Moyes does not officially take on the United manager’s role until 1 July and so he has been juggling a few things, which has perhaps slowed the process down. However, United, PSV and Strootman are all happy with what’s on the table and so we should expect an announcement very soon.”

It was also suggested that United did not make any comment about the possible signing of Strootman, but they wouldn’t until the deal has been struck as that is the United way for transfers. We shall just have to see what happens about Strootman. The Netherlands U21 side, which Strootman is part of face Russia on Sunday and Spain on Wednesday which could see them qualify for the semi-final on Saturday 15th June with the final on Tuesday 18th June. If the Netherlands go all the way to the final, perhaps the club will leave any announcement until David Moyes takes over officially in July.

United also confirmed the first signing under David Moyes was Uruguayan right-back Guillermo Varela who played for Club Atlético Peñarol. He will now fly to Turkey where he will represent his country in the FIFA U20 World Cup which starts on Friday 21st June 2013 and will also feature Angelo Henriquez (Chile) and Sam Johnstone, Tom Thorpe and Larnell Cole (England). So there is more football to look forward to this summer!