Southampton starlet Luke Shaw will become the first signing of the Louis van Gaal era with Manchester United on the verge of agreeing a £30 million deal, according to the Daily Star. Van Gaal has been handed a £200 million warchest by United this summer and will waste no time in spending it, having only been appointed David Moyes's permanent successor on Monday. The Dutchman looks set to shake things up at Old Trafford, with the move for Shaw likely meaning the end of Patrice Evra's career at the Theatre of Dreams. Evra has been tipped to follow fellow defenders Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic out of the club and has been linked with a move to Juventus recently. The deal for Shaw also means van Gaal has instantly achieved what predecessor Moyes tried so unsuccessfully to do during his 10 month reign - replace the Frenchman. Moyes made failed bids to sign Leighton Baines from Everton and Real Madrid's Fabio Coentrao during his ill-fated tenure, and Evra ended up staying on an extra year. Shaw's move north could also have wider reaching ramifications with Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino's future looking far from certain. With the South Coast side set to lose some of their top stars this summer, Pochettino may be tempted to jump ship also, and has been linked with the vacant Tottenham job recently. As well as Shaw, United are also interested in his midfield colleague Adam Lallana.
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.
