Ahead of the Premier League’s transfer deadline, we look at the players that could join Man United
Mourinho wants Kante
Jose Mourinho is desperate to sign Chelsea star N’Golo Kante, an agent has claimed. According to Axel Witsel’s advisor Paul Stefani, Kante tops Mourinho’s wishlist.
Stefani says United were interest in Witsel, who quit Tianjin Quanjian for Borussia Dortmund this week. However, Witsel opted to join the Bundesliga giants after discovering Chelsea star Kante was Mourinho’s top target.
“There were other candidates. Manchester United wanted him [Witsel], Napoli too,” Stefani told Het Laatste Nieuws. “But I have told Axel: ‘At Dortmund you are the number one, at Manchester you are one of many… and at Napoli too’.
“I know from a very good source that Mourinho said he wanted Witsel, but not in the first place. N’Golo Kante topped his list.
“Eventually Axel said: ‘Do me a favour and finish it as quickly as possible, because I really want to go to Dortmund’.”
Lewandowski to Man Utd
Manchester United could add Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski to their attacking department.
That is the claim of football finance expert Kieran Maguire, who has made a bizarre claim about where the striker could play.
“United can certainly buy Lewandowski,” said Maguire.
“But the issue is from his point of view that [Romelu] Lukaku is clearly Jose Mourinho’s favourite.
“Therefore he would need Anthony Martial to leave and even then he may be pushed out wide.”
Alderweireld update
Manchester United are no closer to wrapping up a deal for Tottenham ace Toby Alderweireld, says Belgian journalist Kristof Terreur.
Jose Mourinho made signing Alderweireld a top priority at the end of last season in order to bolster his defence. But he has so far faced a summer of frustration with United unable to strike an agreement with Tottenham chief Daniel Levy.
Terreur, who follows Belgian players based in England, has now confirmed there is yet to be any progress towards a deal. “By popular demand: any news about Toby Alderweireld to Manchester United? No. No agreement,” Terreur wrote on Twitter. “Patience is a virtue, isn’t it.”
Harry Maguire and Jerome Boateng remain potential options for United if snaring Alderweireld proves impossible.
Maguire and Boateng latest
Harry Maguire and Jerome Boateng both want to join Manchester United in the next 24 hours, it’s been claimed.
According to Sky Sports pundit Kaveh Solhekol, the pair of long-term targets are both keen on a move to Old Trafford before the window shuts at 5pm tomorrow.
Solhekol broke the news on Twitter today as Manchester United desperately seek to strengthen their defence with the clock ticking towards the deadline.
It had been claimed overnight in Germany that Boateng’s move was off and that he was set to stay at Bayern Munich.
But Solhekol tweeted: “Told reports that Jerome Boateng turned down a move to Man United for football reasons are wide of the mark.
“Boateng wants to move to United and Jose Mourinho wants to sign him. Maguire also still hoping United will sign him. One source says £60m bid already turned down.”
Maguire’s desire to move to United comes as a huge U-turn with his representatives previously telling Express Sport initial claims of him wanting to join the Red Devils were false.