Mourinho’s top two January targets named in Man Utd report

Jose Mourinho wants Manchester United to back him in the January transfer window by signing two new centre-backs, according to a report.

ESPN claim that Mourinho wants the club to back him publicly and he has asked for the cash to sign Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar and Alessio Romagnoli of AC Milan.

The pair, combined, could cost in excess of £100million, but after a summer where Mourinho failed to add a centre-back and spent £68million on Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant, he is hoping to be given the resources.

Mourinho was looking for a centre-back in the summer, but moves for Toby Alderweireld, 29, Jerome Boateng, 30, and Diogo Godin, 32, were not agreed by the board and Leicester’s Harry Maguire proved out of reach.

Former England coach Fabio Capello claimed last week that Mourinho had told him he was after Skriniar and Napoli centre-half Kalidou Koulibaly in the summer.

Capello told Sky Sport Italia: “I met Mourinho during a meeting between managers last summer. He wanted to sign two defenders, one was Milan Skriniar, the other one was Koulibaly.”

Skriniar, who is negotiating a new contract, has been linked with United in the past and Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport claimed in June that the Red Devils had offered £57m for Skriniar in an attempt to lure Inter into a summer sale, but it was since claimed that Inter wanted £70m.

The 23-year-old, who has always stated his desire to stay with Inter, is under contract until 2022.

Gazzetta dello Sport claim Inter have offered the player and his agent Karol Csonto a 50% increase on his current €1.7million net per season to around €2.5million a season until 2023 – a one-year extension.

Csonto though is believed to be looking for around €3million per season for his client, who signed for Inter from Sampdoria for €30m-plus add-ons in July 2017 and who would be available to play in the Champions League knockout rounds this season.

Romagnoli, like Skriniar is 23 and the report suggests that the board will be more open to purchasing younger players than the ones Mourinho wanted over the summer.

Romagnoli is a name that has not been mentioned with UNited, but Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri is understood to be keen on him, according to Calciomercato.