Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho watched Belgium’s 2-0 win over Iceland last week. Manchester United could be set to make a January move for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Axel Witsel after Jose Mourinho reportedly watched the Belgian on international duty last week. Mourinho was spotted at the Nations League fixture, despite no United players featuring in Brussels, and he joked that he had made the journey for the weather when asked about why he was there.
Some reports speculated that Mourinho was in attendance to watch summer transfer target Toby Alderweireld, but Belgian outlet Het Laatste Nieuws now claims it was Dortmund midfielder Witsel who was the reason for the trip. The report claims Mourinho made a personal check on Witsel and is ‘ready to pounce’ for him when the transfer window opens in January. Mourinho is said to regret not moving for Witsel in the summer, and would offer Dortmund profit on their investment of £17m in August from Chinese Super League side Tianjin Quanjian. Witsel, 29, has three goals in 17 appearances for Dortmund, who are four points clear at the top of the Bundesliga this season after 11 games. He has 101 appearances for Belgium, scoring nine times. Meanwhile, United’s hopes of signing another defensive midfielder – N’Golo Kante – could be over after reports suggest he is close to signing a new deal at current club Chelsea.
Former PFA Player of the Year winner Kante had emerged as a surprise transfer target for United last week, but now the Evening Standard say the World Cup winner is set to commit his future to Chelsea in the coming months by signing a long-term contract extension.
