Rumour: Manchester United extremely close to signing Ilkay Gundogan

Manchester United may be closing in on their first signing of the summer, with the Mirror reporting that they are on the verge of tying up a deal for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan.

The German international is currently injured, but reports suggest that that hasn’t stopped David Moyes from making his move, as he attempts to steal a march on the competition by securing an early deal.

Gundogan last played on the opening day of the Bundesliga season, in August, having suffered a back injury, adding an element of risk to any move by United. However, he is expected to be back in action before the end of the season and, assuming his recovery goes well, Moyes is believed to have identified him as the missing piece of the jigsaw in his dysfunctional midfield.

The 23 year old made 28 appearances for Dortmund last season, impressing enough to have attracted interest from a host of top sides in spite of his injury.

However United hope to secure an early deal for the German international, beating off reported competition from the likes of Arsenal and Real Madrid.

Any deal for Gundogan could see former Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa used as a makeweight in a transfer that is reported to be worth up to £32 million.