Manchester United Receive Massive Boost in the Pursuit of Ilkay Gundogan

Manchester United have received a massive boost in their pursuit of Ilkay Gundogan, with Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke stating that the club is open to selling the player if the right offer presents itself.

The Red Devils have been vehemently linked with a move for the midfielder and have been given the go ahead for a move in January, having already spent a record £37m for the signature of Juan Mata.

The midfielder's contract with the Bundesliga club ends in 2015, which means that the player will be available on a free transfer at the end of next season. Dortmund are trying their best to tie him to a new contract but the player is yet to agree on the same.

Gundogan has been unavailable for the major part of this season with a chronic back problem which has been a major blow for the Champions League finalists.

However, having tasted life without their star midfielder, Watzke insists that they can cope with his departure, in the same way they had to make do with the departure of Nuri Sahin and Mario Gotze in successive seasons.

"Of course you're always trying to keep your top players, this is completely normal and we want to extend Ilkay's contract. But you also have to see a sale as an opportunity. In 2011, we lost Nuri Sahin, who was the Bundesliga player of the year and we recovered. Ideally, we manage it so that only one top player goes again this year, namely Robert Lewandowski," he said.

United have resumed their brilliance in the Premier league with a 2-0 win over Cardiff City in midweek, closing the gap on Arsenal to 12 points, which keeping pace with Liverpool, who beat Everton 4-0 in the Merseyside derby.

David Moyes will be hoping that his team can bring in a few more players before the window shuts on 31 January and take the momentum into the second half of the season and complete a top four finish.