Manchester United have supposedly told Real Madrid they want Toni Kroos in return for Paul Pogba when the January transfer window reopens.
Los Blancos wanted to sign the midfielder during the summer but, ultimately, he stayed with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
Pogba remains keen on swapping Manchester United for the Bernabeu, however, and Zinedine Zidane remains hellbent on luring the World Cup winner to Spain.
And Spanish journalist Eduardo Inda, who used to be head of Marca, has claimed United want Kroos in return for Pogba – and even tried landing the Germany international this summer.
“Zidane has an obsession, which is still Pogba,” he told El Chiringuito TV.
“The French coach is a person of fixed ideas and insists on Paul.
“They will try in January and there have already been the first contacts with United.
“In the conversations that still exist between emissaries from Madrid and United, a name has been put: Toni Kroos.
“United tried to sign Toni Kroos this summer.
“For him they offered this summer 75 million and that caused its renewal with the white team.”
Speculation linking Kroos with a move to United is nothing new, with the Germany star previously close to moving to Old Trafford during David Moyes’ time in charge.
“Toni Kroos had agreed to come to Manchester United with me,” Moyes told talkSPORT.
“I met him and his wife and we agreed it all when he was at Bayern Munich.”
Kroos confirmed Moyes’ comments back in August shortly after penning a contract extension with Real Madrid.
“I knew before that Manchester wanted me,” Kroos said.
“And Moyes underlined that absolutely. It was a really nice afternoon with very nice people. We talked a lot about United’s footballing plan which convinced me.
“In the end, we agreed to do it. We agreed verbally.”
United remain short on central midfielders having recently lost Marouane Fellaini and Ander Herrera.
The club were linked with a plethora of players when the transfer window was open with Bruno Fernandes and Sean Longstaff heavily linked.
Yet Kroos is wanted and whether or not United are able to swap him for Pogba remains to be seen.