Red Devils round-up: Mourinho’s £150million transfer shortlist reported; Shock £4million deal revealed

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With the season over and the summer window looming Premier League clubs will start to turn their attention to the transfer market, with a view to strengthening their respective sides ahead of the 2015/16 Premier League campaign. At The Boot Room, we are preparing to bring you all of the best opinion and analysis as the deals roll in.

The first talking point in today’s Manchester United round-up is dedicated to none other than former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho. As you may already know, the Portuguese head coach looks set to replace Louis Van Gaal as Manchester United manager – and his agent is due to hold talks with the club early this week, according to BBC Sport.

If that notion was not already common knowledge, incredibly, the Daily Mail are reporting that the Portuguese head coach was paid £4 million by the Red Devils hierarchy to remain unemployed while they decided whether to sack Louis van Gaal – which is sensational, if true. According to the paper, the deal was signed just after Christmas in order to keep the United board’s options open in regards to Van Gaal’s future – which means the club have had plans to replace the Dutchman for five months now.

Allegedly, an agreement was reached midway through the season to give United the option of bringing him in if Van Gaal failed to meet their targets. Meanwhile, the same source also revealed that Mourinho refused to accept a ‘behavioural clause’ in his five-year, £75m deal despite concerns among the United hierarchy over his eccentric touchline behaviour. Clearly the 53-year-old has no intention of changing his ways – which is great news for the fans who love the entertainment that his antics provide.

If that news wasn’t controversial enough, according to The Sun, the Portuguese head coach’s arrival at Old Trafford could bring to an end Ryan Giggs’ 29-year stay at the club, with the paper reporting that the Welshman, who currently occupies the Assistant Manager role for the 20-time Premier League champions is set to turn down a coaching position under the former Chelsea boss, instead seeking an opportunity to become a manager elsewhere.

Who will replace United’s most decorated player as Mourinho’s number 2? Well, as reported by Swedish outlet Sportsbladet, Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Yes, Zlatan Ibrahimovic!), formerly of Paris Saint Germain, is set to take up the potentially vacant role. After revealing that he is leaving the French champions at the end of the current season, bringing to an end a four-year stay at the Parc des Princes, the Swedish international is expected to join the club in a player-coach capacity.

Nonetheless, Ibrahimovic is not the only big name expected to arrive at the Red side of Manchester this summer. Indeed, The Guardian believe that Mourinho is already planning an impressive £150,000,000 spree, which, if it were to happen, could see him top Louis van Gaal’s record for total funds spent in one summer – with the Dutchman’s £145,500,000 spend in 2014/15 being the biggest outlay recorded by the club in a single window, to date.

Heading this list are a number of highly-sought after names, including the likes of Valencia’s André Gomes, Sporting Lisbon’s João Mário, Everton’s John Stones, Juventus’ Álvaro Morata, Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi and Zenit’s Ezequiel Garay. Furthermore, Juventus team-mates Alex Sandro and Paul Pogba (formerly of United) are touted as more ambitious targets. Meawhile, expected to depart is fan favourite Juan Mata, who Mourinho sold to the Red Devils in January 2014 when he was in charge at Chelsea.

Mourinho is evidently set on using all of his available contacts to entice a number of talented individuals to Old Trafford this summer, and, although the club are without the carrot stick of Champions League football, the former Real Madrid boss is more than likely to prevail in his attempts to strengthen the squad that he is set to adopt. It is exciting times for Manchester United fans, who can expect a whirlwind transfer window at Old Trafford this summer. Stay tuned.

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