Man Utd are reportedly in discussions with Chelsea over the late signing of defender Kurt Zouma ahead of the transfer deadline.
Jose Mourinho has been linked with a string of defenders this summer, despite seemingly not needing to bolster that area of his squad given the options available to him already.
SEE MORE: Barcelona incur anger of Man Utd with bid to prise away influential figure
The Portuguese tactician has Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Victor Lindelof and Marcos Rojo who could all play in the central roles, but as noted by The Telegraph, he has seemed desperate to land another in the summer transfer window.
Having been heavily linked with various names from around Europe, as per the report above, it appears as though Zouma could now emerge as the solution for the Red Devils, with L’Equipe, as re-reported by The Sun, claiming that the 23-year-old is the subject of talks between the two clubs.
Further, it’s suggested that although Everton are also keen on the Frenchman, they are only linked with a loan move while United are eyeing a permanent switch which may well put them at an advantage to get a deal done. Nevertheless, it’s added that Chelsea must first decide if they wish to sell to a direct rival.
Zouma has had his injury problems and struggles with competition for places at Stamford Bridge, which led him to a loan spell with Stoke last season.
However, Mourinho knows him well from his previous spell at Chelsea and will be aware of his talent and what he can offer, and so it remains to be seen whether or not he has emerged as a viable alternative to some of the other targets being touted.
As noted above, it doesn’t seem like a necessary signing given the depth that the Man Utd boss already has in his backline, but based on this report, it would appear as though a defender arriving could be the best hope of activity for fans at Old Trafford before Thursday’s deadline.