Gaitan has long been linked with a move to Old Trafford and is also reported to be a target for Atletico this summer, with Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira revealing earlier this week that he would not stand in the 27-year-old’s way should the club receive an acceptable offer.

“I know Gaitan wants to try out other leagues and for all that he has given to us, I would not like to end his ambition,” Vieira told Portuguese sports daily A Bola.

“However, there needs to be a fair offer, for both the player and Benfica.”

Despite his president’s comments, Gaitan insists he is happy where he is and paying little attention to the speculation.

“I am well at Benfica”, he told Portuguese newspaper Record after arriving back in Lisbon following his summer break.

“I have a contract. During the holidays they said I’d been sold, but today I’m here. It’s always the same story.”

Diego Forlan, meanwhile, has urged United to stay patient with Gaitan’s Argentina team-mate Angel di Maria after a hit-and-miss first season in the Premier League.

“I thought he was a superb signing for United because he is one of the best players in the world, but I was slightly surprised, too,” Forlan wrote in his National column.

“Louis van Gaal has never been a fan of South American players, as my good friend Juan Roman Riquelme will tell you from his time under the Dutchman at Barcelona.

“Van Gaal also had a habit of letting his South Americans leave when he was at Bayern Munich, yet United signed both Di Maria and Radamel Falcao, the Colombia striker, on huge money last summer.

“Players are not robots and if there’s something wrong then their coaches need to find out what the problem is. Di Maria is worth the effort. He offers something different from almost every other player.

“Real Madrid really missed his driving runs last season,” Forlan added. “He is quick, he makes assists and he can also do the hardest thing in football – beat a player one-on-one.

“United will regret it if he leaves. He should be given another season to prove himself and United should try to understand him better and trust him.

“Great coaches and great players don’t always get on and not every player fits into rigid systems, but Di Maria is worth persisting with.”