Manchester United: Matic latest; 22-year-old defender signs; Move planned for Spanish striker

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We begin Wednesday’s Manchester United transfer round-up with the news that Jose Mourinho has secured his first signing as the boss at Old Trafford. Indeed, this lunchtime, the club confirmed Eric Bailly’s arrival from La Liga outfit Villarreal CF, subject to successfully obtaining a work permit.

Very little was known about the 22-year-old prior to speculation linking him with a move to England. However, Mourinho will be hopeful that his new recruit adapts to the Premier League with relative ease.

Following Bailly’s arrival, the Portuguese head coach said: “Eric is a young central defender with great natural talent. He has progressed well to date and has the potential to become one of the best around. We look forward to working with him to help nurture that raw talent and fulfil his potential. Eric is at the right club to continue his development.”

Mourinho is well known for his somewhat conservative approach and each of his successful sides in the past have been built upon the stability provided by world class defenders. He will undoubtedly be hoping to develop the Ivorian into a player of this level.

Fans will be excited to see the pacey defender – who made 47 appearances for Villarreal since joining on 29 January 2015 – in action and will surely hope he strikes a formidable partnership with Chris Smalling.

In other news, according to the Sun, Nemanja Matic has told incoming Chelsea boss Antonio Conte he wants to join former Blues manager Mourinho at United. This follows earlier suggestions that the Serbian international could move make the move north this summer.

According to the report, incoming Chelsea head coach Conte has held talks with a number of disillusioned stars at Stamford Bridge and Matic has already told the Italian he wants out.

It is believed that the 27-year-old wants to re-connect with Mourinho – the man who brought him back to London for his second spell with the Blues – despite suggestions that the pair encountered disagreements last season.

There is no doubt Matic is an excellent player. After all, he was key to the Blues’ title winning campaign two seasons ago, during which they fell to just two league defeats under Mourinho.

While he barely set the world alight for Chelsea this term, the 27-year-old remains one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, and with Morgan Schneiderlin struggling to make a statement since his arrival, the role of leader in the centre of the park is certainly up for grabs. He would be an excellent signing, but a deal still seems unlikely.

Meanwhile, according to Spanish news outlet Marca, Manchester United could be prepared to spend €60 million to recruit Juventus and Spain international Alvaro Morata in a move that could see both the 23-year-old and free-agent Zlatan Ibrahimovic arrive at Old Trafford this summer.

For those who don’t speak Spanish, the article says that Mourinho wants to incorporate Ibra into his plans and there’s a link with him to United. It proceeds to suggest that signing the Swedish international would not rule out the signing of Morata and that, if both were to come to the club, Ibra would be for the present, while Morata would be Mourinho preparing for the future.

A potential deal would see Real Madrid take advantage of their €32 million buy-back clause with the Spaniard’s current club Juventus, which they are free to exercise until next July 15, before re-selling the young striker to the Red Devils for a substantial profit – clearly an excellent piece of  business on behalf of Los Blancos‘ hierarchy.

He struggled for regular game time at the Juventus Stadium last term, making just 16 Serie A starts for Massimo Allegri’s side. With 69 goals in 183 league appearances as a senior pro, fans will question his strike rate and thus his ability to lead the line at Old Trafford. However, he remains a raw talent and if given the chance under Mourinho he could really begin to establish himself.

The report also says that Ibrahimovic would be a risk to purchase for the next two seasons, but would give Morata enough time to adapt to the Premier League and show what he’s learnt at Madrid and Juventus. Marca don’t explicitly mention any done deals, though, although it suggests there could be one in the offing.

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