Croatia star rejected summer Man Utd move despite Mourinho promises

Oli Fisher

Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic turned down a move to Manchester United during the recent transfer window, a report claims.

Calciomercato recently claimed that Jose Mourinho asked United to bring in the Croatia international as cover and competition for Romelu Lukaku this summer after deciding Marcus Rashford isn’t quite good enough yet to challenge for a central striking role.

However, a recent exclusive from the Italian outlet claims that the veteran striker in fact turned down the possibility of a move to Old Trafford.

Calciomercato transfer pundit Fabrizio Romano states that the 32-year-old Mourinho’s top summer priority during the summer, but after a meeting with manager Max Allegri he decided to stay in Turin.

Mandzukic was promised a salary increase by Mourinho, with the Portuguese coach offering to raise his earnings from €3.5m-a-season to €5m.

Allegri though managed to convince the former Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid star that Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival would not impact his playing time, and that he is still a vital part of his plans.

 

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