Rojo headed to United

21 August 2014 - 02:03 By Chris Bascombe, © The Daily Telegraph
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TUG OF THE SHIRT: Josip Drmic of Switzerland, right, challenges Marcos Rojo of Argentina during a match in the World Cup last month. Manchester United have settled on a fee for the Argentine defender as manager Louis van Gaal fights to rebuild an embattled team
TUG OF THE SHIRT: Josip Drmic of Switzerland, right, challenges Marcos Rojo of Argentina during a match in the World Cup last month. Manchester United have settled on a fee for the Argentine defender as manager Louis van Gaal fights to rebuild an embattled team
Image: MATTHIAS HANGST/GETTY IMAGES

Manchester United have eased their transfer frustrations by agreeing a £16-million deal for the Argentine defender Marcos Rojo.

United confirmed that a fee had been agreed to with Sporting Lisbon, pending a medical and personal terms, with the 24-year-old heading to England shortly to conclude the formalities.

The agreement means United have spent £46-million on two left-backs this summer, with Luke Shaw arriving from Southampton for a record £30-million for a teenager.

Sporting Lisbon announced the departure of their defender on social media, although Rojo earlier effectively confirmed the move in an interview with Argentine media. United were prompted to make an announcement of their own, clarifying that the player was yet to put pen to paper, but it is clear his arrival is imminent.

As part of the deal, winger Nani is poised to return to Portugal, joining Lisbon on a season-long loan.

In a display of rare transparency , Sporting offered a thorough breakdown of the deal. T hey will receive £8-million immediately and two insta lments of £4-million, on December 1 and July 1 next year.

Rojo is unlikely to be the final addition to Louis van Gaal's squad as the season's opening weekend focused minds on how much rebuilding work has still to be done.

Although impressions are early, the difference in quality between United and natural rivals such as Chelsea will be disturbing to the new manager, who cannot hope to restore his club's position quickly without major surgery.

Van Gaal is also trailing Angel di María, although United appear to face several hurdles before luring Rojo's Argentina teammate to Old Trafford. Di María is subject to rival bids from Champions League clubs, most notably Paris St-Germain.

The French side believe they are in pole position to sign the winger with a deal that would eventually be worth £52-million.

Rojo, at least, is United-bound. "It's a dream to play at Manchester United," he said. "I have always liked English football, and I should adapt to this new playing style easily."

A left-sided defender who has played mainly at left-back, Rojo's arrival means that Van Gaal has options there at least, although he could also be deployed as centre-half in the 3-5-2 system, but it does raise the issue of what the future holds for Shaw.

Thomas Muller has revealed he turned down a big-money move to United. The Bayern Munich player, one of the stars of Germany's World Cup-winning team in Brazil, said he chose to stay at the Bundesliga champions despite United offering a significant pay rise.

Muller worked with Van Gaal when he was in charge of Bayern, but Muller said he did not even consider the possibility of a move to England.

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