Mesut Ozil, Gareth Bale, Danny Rose… the lowdown on Manchester United’s top five transfer targets
MANCHESTER UNITED boss Jose Mourinho was clear in his wish for four new players in the summer and, in the end, three arrived.
Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic have both played starring roles while Victor Lindelof has gradually been eased into first-team action.
With January around the corner, the Portuguese coach will have left chief executive Ed Woodward in no doubt about who he wants to sign as he attempts to hunt down rivals Manchester City.
Our friends at Football Whispers identify the top five Manchester United transfer targets on Mourinho’s wish-list.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
The Lazio midfielder has been linked with a move to the Premier League for some time now with Paris Saint-Germain transfer rumours rife too.
Milinkovic-Savic, 22, is a tenacious all-round midfielder and would bolster United’s midfield if Barcelona transfer target Ander Herrera leaves Old Trafford.
Mourinho had the Serbian watched in Lazio’s 2-1 win over Sampdoria on Sunday and will be weighing up the possibility of a move ahead of January.
This season the Lazio man is averaging 2.4 tackles and an interception per game in Serie A as well as making 1.2 key passes per match.
Danny Rose
The England defender is out-of-favour at Spurs and has looked set for the exit since an explosive exclusive interview with The Sun in the summer in which he criticised Tottenham’s recruitment policy.
With Ben Davies one of the surprises of the season in his absence, Rose has struggled to force his way back into Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
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Furthermore, there have been tensions between the Argentine coach and Rose, who was left out of the Spurs squad for the North London derby.
With Luke Shaw well down the pecking order at Old Trafford, United need an experienced left-back and England cap Rose would be the perfect fit.
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Gareth Bale
Heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in the summer, the Red Devils’ interest ended when the Welsh international featured in Real Madrid’s European Super Cup victory over Mourinho’s men.
At that point it appeared he would be in Zinedine Zidane’s plans for the season ahead.
But injuries – as they have for much of his Bernabeu stay – have interrupted Bale’s progress once more and the former Spurs forward is back on the treatment table after just four La Liga starts.
At 28, Bale will not come cheap. But he is the kind of superstar who would be welcomed at Old Trafford and Real, always looking to the next Galactico, are reportedly eager to sell the former world’s most expensive player to raise transfer funds.
Leon Goretzka
The German international is one of Europe’s hottest properties and, with his contract up next summer, he can agree his next move in January.
Reportedly a Liverpool transfer target, the Schalke midfielder has also been subject of Arsenal transfer rumours in recent months and seems destined for a move to the Premier League.
Mourinho will hope he can persuade the 22-year-old – who was part of the German side which won the Confederations Cup in the summer – his future lies at Old Trafford.
Goretzka seems to have been unaffected by speculation this season, scoring four times in just eight Bundesliga starts – just one goal fewer than he managed in the entirety of last season.
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Mesut Ozil
The Arsenal playmaker is another whose contract expires at the end of the current campaign and the suggestion is he will not renew his deal at the Emirates.
That has sparked a scramble for the 29-year-old’s signature with Mourinho and United at the head of the queue.
Ozil thrived under Portuguese coach at Real Madrid and a reunion could be on the cards.
Ozil reportedly wants around £300,000 a week to remain with the Gunners and that would represent a significant outlay for a player who will offer little in the way of re-sale value further down the line.
But like former Gunner Robin van Persie, the German could prove to be the transformative signing United need to become title contenders.