Jose Mourinho wants more backing from Manchester United in the transfer market amid interest in him from Paris Saint-Germain. M.E.N. Sport understands PSG have contacted Mourinho’s agent Jorge Mendes after the United manager spoke effusively about the Ligue 1 leaders last month. Mourinho is understood to want United to ‘step up’ and offer him reassurances after he clinched the EFL Cup and Europa League in his maiden Old Trafford campaign. United trail Premier League leaders Manchester City by eight points and during a recent interview with French television station Telefoot Mourinho hailed Paris as ‘special’.
“The other day my son who lives in London went to Paris and not to Manchester to watch the match,” Mourinho said. “At the moment in Paris there is something special. Magic, quality, youth, it’s fantastic.” PSG smashed the world record transfer fee with the £198million acquisition of Neymar and are expected to pay Monaco £166m for 18-year-old Kylian Mbappe next year as their Qatari owners target Champions League glory. Reports emerged last year which claimed Mourinho had opened talks with PSG while United were preparing to install him as Louis van Gaal’s successor but the M.E.N. revealed they were false. Mourinho rejected offers to manage Series A side Roma and Chinese Super League clubs before he replaced Van Gaal in May 2016.
Mourinho is contracted to United until 2019 and has the option to extend his stay until 2020 but feels United need to be more competitive in the transfer market. City outspent United by £70million with their £220million spree, while United invested an initial £140.9m in Victor Lindelof, Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic. Mourinho repeatedly spoke about his desire for a fourth player and United showed interest in Internazionale winger Ivan Perisic and Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale. Three of Mourinho’s seven signings had entered the last year of their deals and Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined United on a free transfer. United broke the world record transfer fee with the £89m addition of Paul Pogba 15 months ago and Mourinho told executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to be prepared to do it again before the 2017 summer window opened. United are monitoring Tottenham defender Danny Rose and are thought to remain interested in Antoine Griezmann after he rejected the chance to join the club and remain with Atletico Madrid for at least one more year.
Ibrahimovic, Michael Carrick and Marouane Fellaini’s contracts expire in the summer and United have decisions to make over six players they are set to retain by triggering a one-year extension on their deals. Juan Mata, Ander Herrera, Luke Shaw, Daley Blind, Ashley Young and Sam Johnstone are expected to be tied to the club until 2019 but Mourinho remains unconvinced by Shaw.
