Man Utd Transfer News: Anzhi Makhachkala Want Nani?

by Joseph Dempsey

Mirror. The Portuguese midfielder will sit out the English champion's three-week long pre-season tour of the Far East and Australia with injury, meaning we could have seen the 26-year-old in a United shirt for the last time. Cash-rich club Anzhi are hoping to secure Nani's services in a £12 million deal, and former Red Devils coach Rene Muelensteen, who has joined Guus Hiddink at the Russian club, could be instrumental in any deal going through. The 26-year-old fell out of favour under Sir Alex Ferguson last season and only made 10 Premier League appearances, and it is understood new manager David Moyes has offered no assurances that he will get more playing time next season either. United paid Sporting Lisbon £17 million for Nani back in 2007 but with just one year remaining on the player's contract, will have to settle for significantly less than that now. Last season, the winger struggled to nail down a regular starting berth on the flanks with Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young preferred, and the recent acquisition of Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace will make competition for places in the wide areas even more fierce next season. Italian side Roma are interested in Nani, as are Turkish giants Galatasaray, who had an £8.5 million bid for the flier rejected last season.

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Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.