UNITED CLOSE TO STRIKING NEUER DEAL


Red Devils ready to pay £10m for keeper
NEUER: United have tracked him for some time
NEUER: United have tracked him for some time
By Neil Ashton, 12/12/2009

MANCHESTER UNITED are close to striking a deal to sign Schalke 04 goalkeeper Manuel Neuer next summer.
The German has been on Sir Alex Ferguson's radar for more than a year and United believe they will land their top target for next season.
Schalke are demanding around £10million for their young star, but United are prepared to pay that price.
The anticipated arrival of Neuer will place serious question marks over the future of England's World Cup hopeful Ben Foster and current No2 Tomas Kuszczak.
Foster is regularly acclaimed as England's top goalkeeper by United boss Ferguson, but has recently been displaced as Edwin Van der Sar's under-study by Kuszczak.
Foster has insisted he is determined to fight his way back into Ferguson's thoughts, while Polish international Kuszczak, who has been terrific for United whenever he has been called upon this season, will be devastated if Neuer signs and is sure to seek pastures new.
Ferguson has had troubles with goalkeepers in the past.
He may have signed the likes of Peter Schmiechel, Fabian Barthez and Van der Sar, but other goalkeepers have been less than successful.
Keepers like Mark Bosnich, Jim Leighton, Massimo Taibi and Roy Carroll arrived with great expectations but quickly departed Old Trafford with tarnished reputations.
Current United No1 Van der Sar is due for talks with Ferguson this month to discuss his future role at the club.
The Dutch international has made just seven appearances for United this season and Ferguson is quite rightly already looking to the long-term future of the club.
Decision
Young Freiburg keeper Michael Langer, 24, has already been on trial at Carrington and United are weighing up a separate move for the young Austrian.
At just over 6ft 4ins Langer fits the bill for the stature of a modern-day keeper, but United have yet to make a decision on him.
Instead they are confident of landing Neuer after next summer's World Cup as Ferguson continues with plans to re-shape his team.
Neuer is regarded is the best young keeper in Germany and is ready for the move to one of the world's biggest clubs.
The 23-year-old is battling it out with Rene Adler for the right to be Germany's first choice keeper at next summer's World Cup in South Africa.
He was voted the best keeper in the Bundesliga in 2007 and has recently stepped up to the German senior side ahead of the World Cup.
Neuer made his debut for his country in a friendly against the United Arab Emirates in the summer and made his second appearance against Ivory Coast