United's Kroos deal is OFF as Van Gaal calls off signing

Manchester United will not, in fact, be signing Toni Kroos from Bayern Munich, according to a report in the Guardian.

United had been linked with the midfielder for a long time, and the German was reportedly a target of David Moyes, but apparently Louis van Gaal has decided that he doesn't want him, and called off the pursuit.

This is a strange decision from Van Gaal. While we've often pointed out that Kroos is more of a number 10, not entirely at ease with playing deeper, he could certainly fit into the team providing we get someone to play deeper. He's also just £20m for a world-class midfielder of 24 years old. How often do players like that come around?

Personally, we'd certainly much prefer Kroos to Fabregas in the United midfield. Kevin Strootman has been heavily linked, but we'd have hoped that was to play in tandem, not alongside Michael Carrick or Tom Cleverley.

Strange goings-on. Of course, this is Jamie Jackson, so it could all be nonsense. As ever, we'll keep you posted.