Manchester United are hoping to strike a deal with Real Madrid for the transfer of Alvaro Morata. The Spanish striker who reportedly agreed to terms with the Red Devils is waiting for the completion of the negotiations between the two clubs.
United had hoped it would not be hard to pull off a deal but Real President, Florentino Perez turned out to be a pretty hard nut to crack. The Spaniard has been demanding a fee in the region of £78m but United are not ready to match his valuation.
United are reportedly ready to hand Morata a lucrative contract as Jose Mourinho is very keen to start the next season with a proper frontline striker in the squad. Mourinho had a chat with the 24-year-old and convinced him to move to Old Trafford.
Despite being largely a part-time player, Madrid are ready to hold on him. Apart from Morata, United made their first signing of this summer as they announced the arrival of Victor Lindelof from Benfica for a fee of £31m.
But Mourinho won’t stop here as his shopping list consists of a number of high-profile players including a defensive midfielder. United lacked depth particularly in the middle as Mourinho hasn’t been able to get the best out of Paul Pogba after his world record transfer from Juventus last summer.
United would need a world class defensive midfielder who would be able to free up Pogba a little more to work on his creative side. The French midfielder recently earned accolades for his brilliant display for France against England as he made a mockery of the England squad.
Jose Mourinho usually plays with the 4-2-3-1 formation so deploying him alongside someone like Fabinho will allow him to link up with the attackers up front. But Pogba’s role is best suited when he is given free role in a 4-3-3 setup. Given Pogba’s ability to stitch free flowing passes, Mourinho needs to secure his stature by empowering a powerful holding midfielder to sit in front of the defence.
Fabinho has all the qualities to thrive in the Premier League. He has power, pace and the vision to play the game. Fabinho has been shifted from right back to the midfield and has done quite beautifully in his new role. He is one of the few defensive midfielders who has a pretty good goal scoring record.
Apart from Fabinho, Mourinho can also look at Nemanja Matic and Blaise Matuidi. Both the players are very renowned in their position and if Mourinho fails to reach a deal for the Brazilian midfielder, he can persuade either of these two midfielders.
