Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho could reportedly see the club complete a move for Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic by the end of the week.
The Portuguese tactician has been heavily linked with signing a midfielder this summer, and it appears as though he’s settling on his former star at Stamford Bridge to help him fill the void.
According to ESPN, Tiemoue Bakayako will complete his move from Monaco to Chelsea this week, which in turn will unlock Matic’s switch to Old Trafford.
Bakayoko and Eric Dier are specifically mentioned as other targets for Mourinho, but it looks as though the United boss is set to go for tried and tested with Matic playing a key role in Chelsea’s most recent Premier League title triumphs.
It’s added that the 28-year-old could cost as much as £40m, and so with Chelsea pushing to get Bakayoko on board as soon as possible in order to include him in their pre-season tour of the US, it will likely speed things up with regards to Matic moving on to his new challenge.
Should the Serbian international complete his move to reunite with Mourinho in Manchester, he’ll become United’s second major summer signing after Victor Lindelof arrived earlier this month.
That’s the core of the side being strengthened by Mourinho who is still searching for a talisman up front to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and so it looks as though he’s identifying fundamental positions in his starting line-up and focusing on them before addressing the other areas needing work.
He knows what he’s getting from Matic and the midfield enforcer’s move to a direct rival will be a shock to some Chelsea supporters. However, while they look forward to potentially welcoming Bakayoko to the club this week, they’ll bid farewell to a player who has been an important figure for them since returning for a second spell at Stamford Bridge in 2014.