Manager Van Gaal is said to be ready to ditch his fellow Dutchman, with the Old Trafford giants willing to listen to offers for the 31-year-old forward.
With just one more full season left on his contract, United have made no moves to extend Van Persie’s deal by a further 12 months, with a view to a summer sale.
Van Gaal has already identified targets to replace him, with Paris Saint-Germain's Edinson Cavani understood to be at the top of Van Gaal’s wanted list.
Van Persie, currently sidelined with an ankle injury, has failed to match the exploits of his debut season at United - when he bagged 30 goals.
Signed from Arsenal for £24million in 2012, that goal-haul helped Sir Alex Ferguson win a 13th Premier League title in his farewell season before standing down as manager.
But injuries and poor form have prevented Van Persie reproducing anything like that since, and the club are now ready to cut their losses on him.
Last season, Van Persie scored 18 goals as United finished seventh under doomed boss David Moyes. This term, under Van Gaal, he has netted just 10 times.
Despite their close relationship, formed when Van Gaal was Holland boss and made Van Persie captain of their country, the United boss is prepared to ditch the forward for the good of the team.
Van Persie has spent the last six weeks out with ligament damage and is, according to Van Gaal, unlikely to be fit for Sunday’s huge Manchester derby.
United have flourished rather than struggled without him though, winning five successive games to move closer to a top-four finish and an immediate return to the Champions League after missing out this season.
Against that backdrop, the former Feyenoord star has become a peripheral figure at Old Trafford and could now move back to Holland - where he has expressed a desire to end his career.
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