Report: Manchester United to launch £12m bid for Stoke City's Ryan Shawcross

Manchester United will launch a £12m bid to bring Ryan Shawcross back to Old Trafford, reports suggest.

Louis van Gaal will enter the January market with right-backs and central defenders on his shopping list, and Stoke captain Shawcross is thought to be under serious consideration.

The 27-year-old left United six years ago in search of first-team football, something he has found with the Potters having been a regular ever since their promotion to the Premier League.

According to the Daily Star, Van Gaal's top target is Borussia Dortmund's Mats Hummels, but he would demand a higher transfer fee than the £12m United believe would be enough to land Shawcross.