Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal has reached a deal to join Manchester United as manager after the World Cup, replacing sacked David Moyes, a Dutch newspaper report said on Saturday.
Popular broadsheet De Telegraaf said “the national coach late last (Friday) night reached a deal with the top British club,” without citing sources.
“The man who’s the absolute number one to replace axed coach David Moyes will immediately take up the job when the Dutch Eleven is knocked out of the World Cup in Brazil,” the paper added.
Van Gaal, 62, who has been on holiday at his villa in Portugal’s Algarve “has been in talks with Ed Woodward, lawyer for club owners the Glazer brothers for a multi-year, multi-million contract,” it said.
Included in the deal would be 100 million euros (Dh506m) in transfer fees to beef up United’s flagging fortunes.
Van Gaal – whose stylish way of football and no-nonsense attitude has earned him the nickname the “Iron Tulip”, has emerged as the front-runner to take over the hot seat at Old Trafford after Moyes’ unceremonious end-of-season release.
The Dutchman brings with him a long list of successes including several Dutch titles with top club Ajax and unfashionable AZ Alkmaar, a Bundesliga crown with Bayern Munich and Spanish championship with Barcelona.
Van Gaal – who has long said he wanted to move to British football after the World Cup – has in the past also been linked a possible deal with Tottenham.
With the arrival of United’s representatives in Portugal, “Tottenham Hotspur saw earlier this week that there was little chance in the fight to sign up the Dutch coach,” De Telegraaf said.
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