Manchester United beat Liverpool in race for Memphis Depay

Manchester United have beaten Liverpool for the signature of PSV Eindoven winger Memphis Depay after the Merseyside club refused to budge on their £20m ($29.2) valuation of the player, according to the Daily Mirror.

The Red Devils, backed by their immense financial strength are willing to meet the £25m ($36.5m) demanded by the Dutch club for his signature. The Red Devils are also likely to be backed by the massive injuction of Champions League money, which they missed out on last season following their failure to finish in the top four.

On the other hand, Liverpool, who received a handsome sum of money following their sale of Luis Suarez, have not been able to utilise the money to their tangible benefit, with a lot of their summer signings failing to reach expectations at Anfield.

The likes of Mario Balotelli and Alberto Moreno have not justified their price tag, which has resulted in Liverpool currently being seven points adrift of a Champions League spot behind Manchester City, a predicament, which will make it even more difficult for them to attract quality talent next summer.

Meanwhile, Louis van Gaal has gone about his business quietly and has reportedly used his contacts at Eindoven to get a deal ostensibly confirmed for the winger, who has scored 19 goals in 25 appearances this season. Eindoven are set to be crowned the Champions of Eredivisie in the coming weeks and Depay's form played a massive role in their league finish this season.

Van Gaal is a huge fan of the forward and had taken him along to the World Cup where he saw Netherlands crash out of the semi-finals to Argentina in a closely fought affair.

Depay is likely to be among the many players that Van Gaal is looking to deploy at United in the summer, with the Red Devils preparing a move for Mats Hummels and Nathaneil Clyne to shore up his backline, which has been extremely porous at times this season.