Mourinho targets midfield duo as part of £80m Man Utd January spree

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is reportedly hoping to convince the club to sanction a £80m January transfer swoop for two midfield targets.

According to reports, United are starting to shape their plans for the January window and are said to be taking an interest in River Plate playmaker Exequiel Palacios.

The 20-year-old star is emerging as one of South American football’s brightest talents and is thought to be close to a move to Real Madrid.

But Don Balon reckons United will rival them to sign the classy No 10 in January and it was reported they sent scouts to check on the youngster in Sunday’s Super Clasico clash against Boca Juniors.

It’s claimed United boss Mourinho, whose preferential treatment of one current United star has irked some senior players, sees the exciting youngster as the perfect link between his attack and defence and bring the X-factor back to his United side.

Meanwhile, Calciomercato claims United could make a fresh play to sign Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini in January.

The 22-year-old was linked with a move to United over the summer, but they put their interest on the backburner as they pursued their chase for Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

But the Italian outlet reckons Mourinho is warming to the idea of signing Pellegrini, who has a clause in his contract allowing him to move for just €30m.

Pellegrini rejoined Roma in 2017 from Sampdoria having started his professional career in the Italian capital.

Mourinho will also be on the lookout for a new centre-half in January, having seen a number of deals fall by the wayside over the summer.

News of United’s interest in the pair comes despite of claims that Mourinho will be sacked in the summer if the club fail to achieve this target.

 

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