Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has told manager Louis van Gaal that he is free to break the world transfer record to bring the right player to the club. United have brought in Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw from Athletic Bilbao and Southampton respectively in recent weeks and continue to be linked with a number of players from across Europe. Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal is believed to be high on new manager Van Gaal’s shopping list, while United continue to be linked with a move for Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani. And the new United boss has been told that his transfer activity will not be restricted. “It’s difficult to deal in hypotheticals based on lots of different things,” Woodward said. “The reality is that we’re not afraid of spending significant amounts of money in the transfer market.” He added: “Whether it’s a record or not doesn’t really resonate with us. What resonates is an elite player that the manager wants who is going to be a star for Manchester United.” Louis Van Gaal (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images) United’s moves for Herrera and Shaw have cost them over £55million, while the £37.1m paid to Chelsea for Juan Mata in January is a club record, but Woodward insists there is more money to spend on high-profile players who would command a large outlay. “Of course it’s in our capabilities,” he said. “You guys think about the money in a way that I don’t. I get pointed in the direction of a target that the manager wants and there is an assessment of what that might cost and I’ll negotiate hard to do the best I can on the trade. “I stand by what I said – there is no budget. We are in a very strong financial position. We can make big signings. That doesn’t mean we go and throw money around. “Louis is the manager. We have a lot of scouting output through the last 12 months, flagging up various things to us. Louis is the one that makes the ultimate decision around who he wants in the squad. I’m not going to force feed him with a player that he hasn’t selected.”
