Gossip: Mourinho shopping in Milan for centre-backs
MOURINHO WANTS MILAN-BASED DUO IN JANUARY
Jose Mourinho wants Manchester United to show him the money in January if they are genuine about keeping him in at his post.
United are a bit of a mess, with Mourinho’s side seven points off Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea following a turbulent summer during which Ed Woodward decided that he is better qualified than the manager to judge defenders.
In a stunning turn of events, it seems that a chartered accountant is in fact not the best person to oversee a Premier League club’s recruitment, so Mourinho wants the situation rectified sharpish. Especially since he’s running out of midfielders to play at centre-back.
To pacify the manager, Woodward will have to take his chequebook to Milan. According to ESPN, Mourinho wants Inter’s Milan Skriniar and AC Milan’s Alessio Romagnoli – and neither will come cheap.
The manager is hoping that Woodward will be more willing to splurge on the Serie A-based pair due to the fact they are both 23. The vice-chairman would be entitled to ask what has become of the last 23-year-old centre-back he spent £30million on a year ago. Or the 22-year-old he spent a similar amount on a year prior to that.
REAL PONDERING STRIKER SHORTAGE
Similarly to Man Utd, Real Madrid are also paying for the summer recruitment failures. The Champions League winners haven’t won or even scored in four matches and Julen Lopetegui could find himself being made the scapegoat already.
Florentino Perez had almost all summer to compensate for the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo but the Real president failed to add any proven quality to his forward line. He wants to remedy that in January, though reports suggest he isn’t yet sure how.
Harry Kane features among his options, according to El Confidencial, but the story suggests Perez is reluctant to fork out huge amounts during the winter. Which presumably means Real will look elsewhere, even if Spurs are out of the Champions League by Christmas.
The other name persistently linked with Real is Timo Werner. The 22-year-old opted to stay with RB Leipzig during the summer but it seems certain that his exit is only a matter of time. Or, the story suggests Real could move for a veteran striker who might not play every week but could weigh in with a goal or two when required, similar to the role played by Emmanuel Adebayor during his loan spell at the Bernabeu in 2011.
Any suggestions?
AND THE REST
Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho could cost any interested party more than £100m…Everton striker Cenk Tosun is set for a return to Besiktas… Genoa striker Krzysztof Piatek is being watched by Barcelona, Man City, Tottenham and Liverpool… Ander Herrera could return to Athletic Bilbao when his Man Utd contract expires at the end of the season… Aston Villa are being linked with a January move for Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi… Man City, Tottenham and Southampton have been watching Sunderland forward Josh Maja.
