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United were last night on the verge of sealing a deal to sign Bayern Munich star Toni Kroos.

The Reds are understood to have agreed in principle to a £20m swoop for the German midfield star who is about to enter the last year of his Bayern contract.

Former Old Trafford boss David Moyes had made Kroos one of his main transfer targets before being sacked.

And now new United boss Louis van Gaal is understood to have given the go ahead for the deal to be completed.

Van Gaal knows all about Kroos having managed him when he was in charge at Bayern.

After two months of negotiations, the United hierarchy are now confident the principles of an agreement are in place for the 24-year-old to become the first of potentially several high-profile signings.

United are also thought to be monitoring the availability of Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas 12 months after their attempts to lure the Spanish former Arsenal midfielder from the Nou Camp failed.