Mourinho tipped to bring duo to Spurs in huge double January coup
Jose Mourinho has reportedly made January deals for Bruno Fernandes and Zlatan Ibrahimovic his first two transfer priorities after taking charge at Tottenham.
Former Chelsea and Manchester United boss Mourinho has signed a contract until the end of the 2022-23 season, having been out of work since his dismissal at Old Trafford last December.
As well as improving upon a disastrous set of results so far this season that has left Spurs struggling down in 14th place, Mourinho will of course look to improve on a squad that has been left with internal divides, including a number of key stars whom are nearing the ends of their contracts.
It’s thought Mourinho has already handed Spurs chairman Daniel Levy a list of would-be targets ahead of the January window – and it appears likely the club will open the chequebook in a bid to climb their way up the Premier League and bolster their hopes of another solid run in the Champions League.
According to the Daily Star, Mourinho is set to rekindle Tottenham’s bid to sign Sporting Lisbon star Fernandes, with the north London giants having seen a summer bid fall short.
A deal for the Sporting Lisbon ace failed to materialise but it’s expected they will launch a fresh bid to sign him as Mourinho is a big fan.
“I was surprised by the season of Bruno Fernandes,” he told Eleven Sports in the summer.
“It was easy to predict quality, he is a very good player, but scored a very high number of goals for a midfield player.
“It shows that you need to have instinct and qualities to score and he has it all.
“He strikes the ball well, heads well, cool when he is one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He finds space in the penalty area. It’s all there.”
Fernandes could leave for as little as €40m in January with the goal-grabbing midfielder yet to agree a new deal and with Sporting growing concerned over his dwindling value.
Spurs are also being linked with a January swoop for veteran Swede Ibrahimovic.
Ibrahimovic, 38, is coming to the end of a two-year spell in Los Angeles after the forward announced his departure from the Major League Soccer club via social media earlier this month.
It means the former Manchester United striker, who has been tentatively linked with an Old Trafford return, will be a free agent and up for grabs in January.
AC Milan are reportedly keen to re-sign the striker who scored 56 goals in 85 appearances at the San Siro between 2010 and 2012, while a recent post from Ibrahimovic claiming he was heading back to Spain.
Liverpool have also been mentioned as potential suitors, while there is further interest from Italian side Bologna.
However, the former Juventus, Milan, Barcelona and PSG star is now being mentioned as a potential target for Mourinho, with the pair having enjoyed a fruitful time at Old Trafford together, which saw the pair claim glory in both the League Cup and the Europa League.
