Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has urged his board to deliver the transfer of Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos this January as a matter of urgency.
The Red Devils were linked with Kroos and other big-name midfielders throughout the summer, but in the end failed to bring in a number of their top targets.
This has led to tension between Mourinho and club chief Ed Woodward, who has also been criticised by fans for his transfer dealings.
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The latest, however, is that Mourinho is already in talks with the United board about a major investment in January for the £100million-rated Kroos.
Don Balon claims the Germany international is a priority target for the Red Devils boss, with the Spanish outlet also talking up the suggestion of Paul Pogba moving to the Bernabeu as part of the deal.
However, CaughtOffside understands that Pogba is considered unsellable by Woodward in particular, and is not the subject of Mourinho’s frustrations anyway.
A club source has told CaughtOffside that Mourinho has been ‘dismayed’ by what he’s seen from new midfield signing Fred so far this season.
The Brazil international arrived for around £50m this summer, but has so far failed to make any kind of impact in the Premier League.
Having started the team’s first three matches and failing to prevent two defeats to Brighton and Tottenham, Fred was then dropped to the bench for Marouane Fellaini for the win at Burnley at the weekend.
MORE: Jose Mourinho explains why he’s already dropped Man United summer signing Fred after just three games
While this proved a good move as Fellaini performed his role well, it is understood that Mourinho has not been at all impressed with what he’s seen from Fred in training and believes more quality is needed in the middle of the park.
Kroos is more experienced at the highest level and has big trophies like the Champions League and the World Cup under his belt in a glittering career, whereas United’s new-boy is playing at this high level for the first time after arriving from Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine, with the step up proving a bit too much just at the moment.
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Loading ...While Fred is rated highly by many inside Old Trafford, it is felt he needs much more time to settle before becoming automatic first choice, but that United need to improve in that part of the pitch immediately.
It remains to be seen if the United board will back Mourinho in forking out £100m for Kroos this winter, with Woodward and the manager known to have been at odds over various summer transfer targets.
