Manchester United Launch Bid for Japanese Midfielder - Report

Manchester United have reportedly launched a £13.6mn bid for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa, according to a Goal.com report. The Red Devils, who have been heavily linked to the 23 year old Japanese, were reportedly forced to take this step following Arsenal's growing interest in the talented attacking midfielder. According to reports from Germany, Sir Alex Ferguson's side could still be beaten to the player by the Gunners.

Kagawa still has a full year to go on his Dortmund contract but the German champions have indicated they would be open to reasonable offers for the Japanese, who has helped them win two consecutive Bundesliga titles.

"I had a meeting with his agent and Shinji Kagawa has informed us that he will definitely not be extending his contract," Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc was quoted by ESPN as saying.

"Should we now receive offers for Kagawa, then we will consider and negotiate them," said Zorc, according to a report in the Daily Mail. Kagawa has been on the radar of Manchester United for a very long time. However, due to his excellent form of late, many other clubs are also reportedly after him.

According to a report in the Metro, Ferguson, along with Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan, was present at the Olympiastadion in Berlin during Dortmund's impressive 5-2 win over Bayern Munich in the DFB-Pokal final. They were very impressed with Kagawa, who scored the opening goal of the game for Dortmund after three minutes.

However, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is also keeping tabs on the Japanese attacking midfielder, who has played an important role in Jurgen Klopp's team's success in the past two seasons.

Kagawa, who joined Dortmund for a transfer fee of only £280,000 in 2010, has had an impressive campaign in Germany scoring a total of 29 goals from 71 appearances in a span of 24 months.