Japan and Borussia Dortmund star Shinji Kagawa is back on Manchester United’s radar after returning from a four-month layoff with a foot injury, a report said Monday.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side are planning to send a team of scouts to follow the 22-year-old attacking midfielder at Dortmund games next season, the Japanese daily Nikkan Sports said.
“His goal of joining a big club may be realised within this year at the earliest,” the daily said.
Kagawa, who scored eight goals in 17 Bundesliga games after moving from J-League side Cerezo Osaka at the start of last season but broke his right foot in January, is keen to play for the English Premier League champions.
“If I get a formal offer, I’ll be strongly interested in listening to what they have to say,” Kagawa was quoted as saying by an associate, according to the Nikkan Sports.
“The Premiership is one of the leagues I want to challenge,” said Kagawa, who once targeted Barcelona as his final destination. “If it is Man U, I’ll be still more eager to go and try how much I can do there.”
Manchester United first showed an interest in Kagawa late last year but backed off after he suffered the injury in Japan’s Asian Cup semi-final win over South Korea in January, the daily said.
The Blue Samurai went on to lift a record fourth continental title in his absence.
At that time, Spanish clubs Villarreal and Atletico Madrid as well as Juventus and Tottenham were also reported to be interested in him.
British radio station talkSport reported that Manchester United had been quoted a price of 20 million pounds (24 million euros) for Kagawa.
After seeing Dortmund lift the Bundesliga shield from the bench, he came back onto the pitch to play the last three minutes of their final league game of the season, a 3-1 home win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Manchester United scouts watched him at the match, the Nikkan Sports said.
-With The Daily Star input
