Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Shkodran Mustafi, James Wilson Rumours

Bayern Munich have reportedly joined Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona in the race for highly regarded transfer target Shkodran Mustafi, Valencia's star central defender.

That's according to AS (h/t talkSPORT), who believe the trio of interested clubs all made attempts to sign the 23-year-old during the summer.

The former Everton man was a shock inclusion for Germany's 2014 World Cup squad after an impressive spell with Sampdoria, working himself into the starting XI before suffering an injury. He moved to Valencia following the tournament and established himself as one of La Liga's top young defenders, regularly outperforming then-team-mate Nicolas Otamendi.

According to AS (h/t Barcastuff), his great performances have not gone unnoticed, with Barcelona spending an awful lot of time scouting the defender:

Mustafi is surprisingly mobile for a centre-back and is versatile enough to split out wide, although he does his best work at the heart of the defence. He's incredibly experienced for a player his age and is comfortable with the ball at his feet, like most modern German centre-backs are.

According to talkSPORT, his contract contains a £37 million buyout clause, although they believe Valencia could be persuaded to make a deal for £22 million. It's hard to see why the Spanish side would agree to such a deal, having just lost star centre-back Otamendi to Manchester City.

Otamendi's release clause was £35 million, per the Daily Mirror's David McDonnell, and the Citizens ended up paying a sum close to that, via BBC Sport. If Valencia weren't willing to budge during those negotiations, they'll do the same with Mustafi, who is arguably a better prospect.

It's also important to remember Spanish buyout clauses are not the same as release clauses, as explained by Sportskeeda's Nikhil Srivastava. The former are subject to taxes, so the eventual transfer fee would be greater than the £37 million reported by talkSPORT.

With all that said, Mustafi still presents an interesting transfer target, and it's easy to see why both Barcelona and Bayern Munich would be interested. He's strong, mobile and has the vision and positioning to be a superb defensive option, but he also has the passing skills required in the modern game.

A January transfer seems highly unlikely, unless the Catalans are willing to overspend in order to fix their suspect defence immediately. In seven La Liga matches, they've already conceded nine goals, per WhoScored.com.

If he doesn't move, he'll have the rest of the season to prove to potential suitors he can lead Valencia's defence without the help of Otamendi, and if he's successful, a summer move seems likely. Mustafi is a budding star ready for the spotlights, and it's only a matter of time before one of the European giants hands him the opportunity to show his skills on the biggest stage.

Celtic Loan for James Wilson?

According to the Sun (h/t Daily Mirror's Aaron Flanagan), Scottish giants Celtic are looking at James Wilson as a loan target, offering the young forward a chance to continue his development by playing regular minutes away from United.

Wilson recently signed a new long-term contract with the Red Devils, per the club's official website, but he hasn't featured much in 2015-16 and could use more playing time in order to grow as a player.

As reported by the Manchester Evening News' Simon Bajkowski, manager Louis van Gaal previously told reporters he will hold off on any decisions regarding a possible loan until December:

The 19-year-old has long been touted as one of United's top young talents, impressing throughout his career with the academy and scoring twice on his Premier League debut against Hull City.

He scarcely played under Van Gaal in 2014-15, however, and there has been little change this season. The arrival of Anthony Martial has only complicated matters, and so far, he's played just eight minutes of Premier League football, per WhoScored.

Celtic and United have a healthy relationship, as Tyler Blackett currently plays for the Scots on loan and Saidy Janko recently joined them permanently.

All will depend on Wilson's playing time in the coming months. If the youngster continues to spend his days clustered to the bench, it makes no sense for Van Gaal to keep him at Old Trafford.

Wilson remains in the club's long-term plans, but in order to become the player United hope he can be, he needs to play, and a six-month loan with Celtic would give him a far better shot and some consistent minutes.

Follow @ReverschPass