If Ed Woodward pulls this off, they may need to rename the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand at Old Trafford.
What a difference a year makes. Around this time in the 2015/16 season, Woodward was scrambling to get any sort of quality in the door and getting blanked by a host of top clubs.
United’s deadline day transfers were Reagan Poole (Newport) and Anthony Martial (Monaco), who signed for £36m but with a fee that could rise to £57m depending on performances, achievements and feats.
This time around, Woodward has ticked off all four items on Jose Mourinho’s shopping list.
There are reports linking United to a £30m move for Brazilian striker Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa but we would not be surprised to see Mourinho further strengthen his defence. That inkling ties in perfectly with reports of an audacious United move for Southampton and Portugal centre-back Jose Fonte.
According to The Mirror, not only do United want to bring in the 32-year-old, they want to send Marcos Rojo in the opposite reaction.
Fonte has come on a fantastic journey from League One (in 2009) to the Premiership and has only missed six league games over the last three seasons. Added to that, he’s a genuine threat from set-pieces, an assured presence at the back, a tidy passer and was a European Championship winner this summer.Oh, and he also has the same agent as Jose Mourinho.
Then there’s Marcos Rojo. Signed from Sporting Lisbon at the start of the Louis van Gaal era, the Argentine has frustrated United supporters with several poor defensive showings.
There are two impediments to the United bid. Southampton are prepared to up Fonte’s weekly wage from £45,000 to £70,000, and Arsenal are absolutely desperate to get in a competent centre back before the season starts.
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