Sources: Jose targeting Utd amid PSG talk
Jose Mourinho is still targeting the Manchester United job this summer, sources close to both manager and club have told ESPN FC, despite reports on Tuesday that Paris Saint-Germain had made an official approach.
Mourinho would only consider a move to another club if the Old Trafford job was 100 percent off the table, but many connected to the situation believe it is increasingly likely the former Chelsea manager will be appointed at United to replace Louis van Gaal.
There have already been extensive discussions, while sources told ESPN FC that Mourinho has started reaching out to potential members of his backroom staff, although no contract has been signed yet and the situation remains open.
Mourinho’s camp reached out to PSG — and Inter Milan — in October when the prospect of him getting sacked by Chelsea first arose, but the latest reports — which the French club have said “no comment” to — are wide of the mark.
Indeed, sources close to PSG say the situation has moved on since then, and there is a willingness to give Laurent Blanc, who signed a new two-year contract in January, at least another season to win the Champions League, despite last week’s quarterfinal elimination to Manchester City.
There has been another link between PSG and Mourinho, however, as the Portuguese has expressed approval towards the idea of United signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free transfer in the summer.
The Sweden international would be one of five main first-team signings Mourinho would plan for the Old Trafford club, including two defenders, a commanding midfielder — with Benfica’s Renato Sanches hugely admired — and a fast winger. The 53-year-old is also a huge admirer of Tottenham’s Harry Kane.
Sources say Mourinho has also privately been raving about the form of Marcus Rashford, and would see him as a playing a key role in his United team.
