This summer’s Copa America tournament has showcased some of the best talent that the South American continent has to offer, many of those that shone in Chile are currently been looked at by some of the biggest clubs on the planet.
A big campaign is awaiting Premier League side Manchester United as manager Louis van Gaal looks to get the club back to the top of the perch of English football. Despite their mass summer spending so far with; Memphis Depay, Matteo Darmian, Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sergio Romero all coming into Old Trafford but the Dutchman is still looking to at least bring in another striker and another defender.
With that in mind, here are five targets that Van Gaal could bring in from South America.
1) Naldo – Wolfsburg
The first target is central defender was crucial to his side’s success last season and that is Wolfsburg’s Naldo.
The German side had their best seasons in years in 2014/15 finishing second to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga which has seen them automatically qualify for next season’s Champions League group stage and winning their first DFB-Pokal title.
Many would see forward Kevin De Bruyne as the main reason for their vast success, however your defence is only as good as your attack and there is no doubt that the Brazilian was the shining beacon in the centre of defence.
Naldo managed 32 appearances last campaign as well as contributing seven goals which is quite a high total for a central defender and has already started the 2015/16 season on a high defeating Bayern in the DFL-Supercup. At the age of 32 he is just the right age and the experience to help the growth of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones.
Naldo has spent the majority of his career in the German league with Werder Bremen and most recently Wolfsburg, however the Brazilian may be looking for a new a challenge and still has the time and the ability to still do a good job on the top level.
2) Nicolas Otamendi – Valencia
United have been linked with a number of names over the summer but one name that hasn’t gone away has been Valencia defender and Argentina international Nicolas Otamendi.
Otamendi moved to La Liga only this summer joining Valencia from Portuguese side Porto, however, an excellent campaign both domestically and internationally could see him on the move again after just a year in La Liga.
Very much like Naldo, Otamendi was influential in helping his side to one of their best seasons in years with Valencia claiming fourth spot in La Liga to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in four years.
Also like the Brazilian he scored quite a high amount of goals last season with six in his 42 appearances for the Spanish club which could prove vital to Van Gaal’s side.
The 27-year-old increased his market value this summer with his escapades with Argentina at this summer’s Copa America tournament where he helped his country to the final before their penalty shootout defeat to host nation in the final.
Otamendi reportedly hasn’t made it a secret that he is interested in a move to Old Trafford as he reported earlier in the summer that he refused to play for Valencia to push a move through to England. However in recent weeks the rumours of a move have died down with the Argentine reportedly willing to stay at the Mestalla but after the many twist and turns with this reported move, there could still be one more twist in the tale.
3) Gonzalo Higuaín – Napoli
With departure of Robin Van Persie to Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbache and Radamel Falcao returning to AS Monaco before joining Premier League rivals Chelsea which has left Van Gaal with just Wayne Rooney and James Wilson as his only striking options.
One player that has been linked with a move away from his club but necessarily with a transfer to Old Trafford is Napoli’s Gonzalo Higuaín. The Argentine was previously linked with a move to Manchester before he made his move to Italy from La Liga giants Real Madrid.
The 27-year-old has had two solid seasons in Naples with 53 goals in his 102 appearances so far, the 2014/15 was much stronger on a personal level in terms of goals with 29 goals which is the kind of player that United needs as captain Rooney has failed to hit over 20 goals since the 2011-12 season.
However despite been reportedly committed to staying in Italy with Napoli the Argentine has been heavily linked with moving way especially to the Premier League with Arsenal been the most interested.
It does seem that the hierarchy at the Italian club are unwilling to let their star striker leave the Stadio San Paolo but with the spending power that they have shown over the past two seasons they could put out enough money to turn the heads of the Italian club.
4) Gary Medel - Inter Milan
The fourth target already has experience on our shores and has been having an impact both internationally and domestically and that is Inter Milan’s central defender Gary Medel.
Medel was the marquee signing of Cardiff’s debut season in the top flight and proved to be an excellent buy but his form wasn’t enough to prevent their relegation. His performances at the World Cup 2014 with surprise package Chile boosted his market value and had many of the top sides chasing for his signature with Inter eventually winning the race.
He had a solid debut season in Italy despite his side’s poor showing finishing eighth in Serie A, he made 44 appearances and showed grit and determination in every single of those matches and was very much the first-choice centre-back considering the shakiness of Nemanja Vidic.
This summer he had another excellent international campaign this time in the Copa America and was key in leading Chile to their first title after defeating Argentina on penalties. Very much like in Brazil these performances has seen his stock skyrocket with the likes of Liverpool and Everton looking to bring him in.
However, Inter manager Roberto Mancini has insisted that he will not be sold but like a similar situation to Higuaín, if the right amount of money is flashed t could be enough to their turn their heads.
5) Edinson Cavani – Paris Saint-Germain
The final name on the list is a name that has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford for the past few summers and that is Paris Saint-Germain striker Edison Cavani.
During his time in Napoli, Cavani was considered one of the most prolific strikers on the continent managing 78 goals in just 104 appearances during his three years in Naples. When his contract ran out at the end of the season many of Europe’s top sides including United were battling out for his signature.
But it was French side PSG who won the race for the Uruguayan splashing a whopping €64.5 million on the 28-year-old which made him the most expensive signing in French football and the sixth in history.
Life in Paris got off to a slow start on a personal level scoring just 25 goals in 43 appearances in his debut season which by his exceptional standards is a very poor return. He returned to his form last season with 31 goals and ended winning the treble.
However throughout his two years at the Parc Des Princes there has always been reported frustration between him and star striker Zlatan Ibrahimović and was very much pushed out to play second fiddle to the Swede.
Cavani has been heavily linked with a move away this summer and there is no doubt that he would be playing every week at Old Trafford, with that and the possibility of a very good wage, it does seem that Cavani’s move to United isn’t unrealistic.