Mourinho talks planned as Zidane saga takes fresh twist for Man Utd

Jose Mourinho is poised to hold talks over his future with Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward on Wednesday amid more speculation over Zinedine Zidane.

With more damaging claims being made about the future of several United stars should Mourinho stay on as manager, reports have continued to grow that the club are considering an approach to appoint former Real Madrid coach Zidane as his successor.

Reports on Monday suggested Mourinho wanted United to publicly offer him their support as manager amid ongoing speculation and talks with Woodward in London – which are understood to be scheduled in for Wednesday evening – could be crucial to that.

According to The Sun, Mourinho is concerned that United are making ‘contingency plans’ to appoint his successor – and the shadow of Zidane continues to loom large over the under-fire Portuguese coach.

The paper claims that if Woodward can convince him that Mourinho is still their No 1, the Portuguese will then use the meeting to discuss a January plunge into the transfer market to bolster the United squad.

It’s claimed Mourinho will ask Woodward to find out just how much money he is going to get – with a new centre-half and possibly a winger at the top of his wishlist. Wednesday’s papers suggested the United boss would take in Serbia’s match with Montenegro to watch a potential recruit on Thursday.

Reports over Mourinho, Woodward talks come amid fresh speculation surrounding the future of Zidane.

The Frenchman remains the bookmakers’ No 1 choice to replace Mourinho at Old Trafford, but reports in Germany on Wednesday morning suggest Bayern Munich are plotting a move for the Frenchman as a potential successor to Niko Kovac.

The German press claims Kovac is already under intense scrutiny at the Bundesliga champions after they went four matches without a win, with some outlets suggesting an approach for Zidane could be forthcoming if they part ways with 46-year-old.

Any approach by Bayern for Zidane could yet force United into action over the Frenchman, with reports in Spain suggesting he had already targeted a move for a Barcelona man as his first potential signing at Old Trafford.

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