Man Utd £10m short after being told to stump up £40m for Serie A target

Manchester United have reportedly been told that £40million is the price tag on the head of Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic.

The Sun claim the Serie A side want £40million for the Serbia international, who has been scouted by Jose Mourinho.

The Manchester United boss was seen watching  Serbia’s 2-0 Nations League win against Montengero during the international break with the 21-year-old understood to be the focus of his visit.

Milenkovic is not thought to be Mourinho’s first choice defensive target, but the United boss is wary that his other reported targets may well break the Old Trafford bank.

The tabloid claims United are only prepared to pay £30million for Milenkovic, leaving the clubs £10million apart in valuations for a player, who is contracted until 2022.

According to the Sunday Times, Mourinho has asked executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward and United’s moneymen to sanction a swoop for top target Kalidou Koulibaly.

The Senegal international signed a new deal with Napoli over the summer and is likely to cost a fee in excess of the world-record £75m defender fee Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk last January.

Mourinho though will argue that the addition of Koulibaly can fix his side’s Achilles’ heel – their poor defending – in one-fell swoop and will be worth the fee as it’s claimed the United boss sees the player as one of the game’s elite stars.

The report in the Sunday Times suggests Koulibaly is open to the idea of moving to the Premier League and will push his side to sanction the deal if United make positive moves to sign him.