Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho will have to fend off Chelsea and Manchester City in his bid to sign Monaco ace Tiemoue Bakayoko.
The 22-year-old has reportedly emerged as the Portuguese tactician’s favoured option to bolster his midfield, as he continues to look at ways of strengthening his squad for the second half of the campaign and beyond.
According to The Daily Record, both Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte want to take him to Manchester City and Chelsea respectively, and so the talented holding midfielder is seemingly set to be at the centre of a transfer tug-of-war.
It’s claimed in the report that Monaco could reconsider their decision not to sell Bakayoko in the January transfer window, although there is conflict over how much he would cost one of the interested Premier League clubs.
The Record claim that the French outfit want a minimum of £25m for the French under-21 international, while The Sun noted last month that it would cost £40m to prise him away from the Ligue 1 side.
It remains to be seen firstly whether or not United make the first move by submitting a bid for Bakayoko, with the Record reporting that it’s part of a larger transfer strategy from Mourinho and the Red Devils as they look to stagger several signings over the next two windows.
From Victor Lindelof to Antoine Griezmann, the report claims Mourinho has big plans to make the United squad the strongest in Europe once again.
Bakayoko would certainly be a wise investment as the powerful, tenacious and composed midfielder would add quality to any squad he’s involved in and he will get the chance to directly prove his talent to watching eyes from England when Monaco take on Manchester City in the Champions League next month.