Report: Manchester United planning 'another summer splurge' with no particular budget

Manchester United are reportedly set to take a page out of Real Madrid's notebook.

According to The Guardian and falling in line with previous reports, "another summer transfer splurge" is on the horizon at Old Trafford as manager Louis van Gaal will look to strengthen each position in a manner similar to Real Madrid. 

Furthermore, money is apparently no object as van Gaal has been told "he does not have to work to a particular budget" and that the club is prepared to open their wallet to the tune of a world record transfer bid.

Van Gaal is looking to add a midfielder, a right-back, up to two centre-backs, a wide player, and potentially a striker should things not pan out with Radamel Falcao, who would cost United £43.5 million if they decide to pick him up permanently from Monaco.

Here's a quick overview of van Gaal's reported wishlist along with their respective price tags:

• Roma's Kevin Strootman (around £30 million)
• Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels (up to £35 million)
• Atletico Madrid's Diego Godin (around £25 million)
• Barcelona's Dani Alves (around £15 million)
• Bayern Munich's Arjen Robben (minimum £40 million)

While that's an enticing list for supporters of United, it's obviously unlikely that van Gaal is able to land each of those five players, particularly as many of them appear poised to remain with their current club.

Roma manager Rudi Garcia and club owner James Pallotta have both stressed that Strootman is not for sale, with the latter stressing that even a bid of £75 million wouldn't be enough.

Hummels was targeted by van Gaal before the transfer window closed, but he remained at Borussia Dortmund as manager Jurgen Klopp didn't want to lose another major player following Robert Lewandowski's move to Bayern. The centre-back has openly discussed leaving Dortmund at some point, but has also said that he "couldn't be happier at any other club in the world right now."

Godin is one of the more recent names to be linked to United, but Atleti manager Diego Simeone dismissed any transfer talk on Thursday, saying that a bid in the region of £25 million "must be a mistake."

Lastly, while it's hard to say whether van Gaal would be capable of luring Alves away from Barcelona, the idea of Robben at United seems fathomable given the fact that van Gaal and Robben have worked together at Bayern as well as the Dutch national team.