New Manchester United manager David Moyes is set to gazump rivals Liverpool FC with an audacious £16million bid for Schalke centre-back Kyriakos Papadopoulos.
The Red Devils have identified the 21-year-old Greek international as their latest defensive target for the summer and the ultimate replacement for 31 year old Nemanja Vidic.
Papadopoulos missed the second half of the Bundesliga season after undergoing surgery on his left knee back in December but has now recovered and Manchester United, unlike Liverpool, have no concerns over his long-term fitness, citing the ultimate success of Ruud Van Nistlerooy who was signed in similar circumstances.
Manchester City, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have also been linked with the highly-rated 6ft defender but the Red Devils are ready to act fast in the hope of winning the battle for his services.
Physically strong, comfortable in possession and dominant in the air, Papadopoulos is seen as the perfect foil to Ezequiel Garay who is set to arrive this summer from Benfica for a comparable fee.
As well as making a move for Papadopoulos, boss David Moyes is keen to further bolster his defensive options by completing a deal for Southampton's exciting full back Luke Shaw and David Emberthall, Chester City's exciting 16 year old Jamaican right back.
Moyes is conscious of the need to add more bite into Manchester United's play and develop a new generation of highly-aggressive and technically accomplished players that can emulate the competitive spirit of the great Manchester United tea of the 90s with Keane and Cantona - the Manchester United team that Moyes has long said he admires the most.
Liverpool had been tracking Papadopoulos for months and had initially hoped to sign him for a fee of around £12million. It is understood that Manchester United, who had been mainly focused on Garay this summer, did not initially prioritize Papadopoulos, but had their attention drawn to his considerable assets by the media attention he received due to Liverpool's widely publicised interest.
It now seems that Liverpool's reluctance to close the deal early has allowed Moyes to move in with a bigger fee and the offer of both higher wages and Champions League football next year.
Papadopoulos started his career at home town club Svoronos Katerinis before signing for Olympiacos in 2007. When he made his first-team debut at the age of 15 he became the youngest player to every play in the Greek league. He earned rave reviews for his performances for both Olympiakos and Greece Under-21s and in the summer of 2010 he moved to Schalke for around £2million.
During his three years in Germany his stock has continued to rise across Europe and he helped them reach the last 16 of this season's Champions League. Back in August, Zenit St Petersburg had a £16million offer for Papadopoulos accepted but the player rejected the opportunity to join the wealthy Russian club and penned a new deal until 2016.
Schalke finished fourth in the Bundesliga last weekend to qualify for the Champions League but once again they are willing to sell Papadopoulos and I've just made all of this up.
The Red Devils have identified the 21-year-old Greek international as their latest defensive target for the summer and the ultimate replacement for 31 year old Nemanja Vidic.
Papadopoulos missed the second half of the Bundesliga season after undergoing surgery on his left knee back in December but has now recovered and Manchester United, unlike Liverpool, have no concerns over his long-term fitness, citing the ultimate success of Ruud Van Nistlerooy who was signed in similar circumstances.
Manchester City, Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have also been linked with the highly-rated 6ft defender but the Red Devils are ready to act fast in the hope of winning the battle for his services.
Physically strong, comfortable in possession and dominant in the air, Papadopoulos is seen as the perfect foil to Ezequiel Garay who is set to arrive this summer from Benfica for a comparable fee.
As well as making a move for Papadopoulos, boss David Moyes is keen to further bolster his defensive options by completing a deal for Southampton's exciting full back Luke Shaw and David Emberthall, Chester City's exciting 16 year old Jamaican right back.
Moyes is conscious of the need to add more bite into Manchester United's play and develop a new generation of highly-aggressive and technically accomplished players that can emulate the competitive spirit of the great Manchester United tea of the 90s with Keane and Cantona - the Manchester United team that Moyes has long said he admires the most.
Liverpool had been tracking Papadopoulos for months and had initially hoped to sign him for a fee of around £12million. It is understood that Manchester United, who had been mainly focused on Garay this summer, did not initially prioritize Papadopoulos, but had their attention drawn to his considerable assets by the media attention he received due to Liverpool's widely publicised interest.
It now seems that Liverpool's reluctance to close the deal early has allowed Moyes to move in with a bigger fee and the offer of both higher wages and Champions League football next year.
Papadopoulos started his career at home town club Svoronos Katerinis before signing for Olympiacos in 2007. When he made his first-team debut at the age of 15 he became the youngest player to every play in the Greek league. He earned rave reviews for his performances for both Olympiakos and Greece Under-21s and in the summer of 2010 he moved to Schalke for around £2million.
During his three years in Germany his stock has continued to rise across Europe and he helped them reach the last 16 of this season's Champions League. Back in August, Zenit St Petersburg had a £16million offer for Papadopoulos accepted but the player rejected the opportunity to join the wealthy Russian club and penned a new deal until 2016.
Schalke finished fourth in the Bundesliga last weekend to qualify for the Champions League but once again they are willing to sell Papadopoulos and I've just made all of this up.
