Jose Mourinho has made it abundantly clear that he intends to build upon the £150 million he spent in the summer transfer window at Manchester United.
The Portuguese, still unsatisfied with the quality of his squad, believes further improvements must be made in January to challenge for a Champions League place.
And with the winter window fast approaching, rumours are beginning to spread like wildfire.
Diego Godin was the name on fans’ lips a few weeks ago, with The Sun reporting earlier this month that Mourinho was lining up a £30 million move for the Atletico Madrid defender.
However, according to the Mirror, United’s manager has switched his attention to two more realistic defensive targets.
They claim Mourinho is plotting a sensational £70 million double move for Bayern Munich’s David Alaba and Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk.
Alaba is thought to be top of his wish list. The versatile left-back can play anywhere across the back four and even in central midfield, suggesting he would be worth every penny of his £40 million valuation.
There are a few issues where any move is concerned, though. Aside from the fact Bayern won’t want to sell, the 24-year-old signed a three-year contract extension in March and is also on Pep Guardiola’s radar at Manchester City.
Mourinho would face stiff competition for his signing as a result.
As for Van Dijk, the Dutchman is highly rated in the Premier League and could be available for £30 million – a bargain given his huge potential.
Again, United would face competition from the likes of Liverpool, but the thought of Van Dijk replacing the out-of-favour Chris Smalling and playing alongside Eric Bailly at the back is a salivating one.
The thought process behind Mourinho’s move is said to be to replace – or at least provide competition for – Smalling and Luke Shaw, who have come under fire in recent weeks.
So desperate is Mourinho to splash the cash once more in January that he’s reportedly asked executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward for reassurances that the money will be available to him.
The 53-year-old hinted at winter additions following Saturday’s draw against Arsenal, where he praised Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo but highlighted their relative lack of game time.
“Look, Jones and Rojo, I think probably many of you think Jones doesn’t play two matches in a row for two or three years,” he said, per Manchester Evening News.
“Rojo nobody knows what he is because sometimes he plays here, sometimes he plays there, sometimes he’s in the stands, sometimes he’s at home, so when you see these two players perform the way they did you know that it’s work behind [it].”