Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho “is prepared to cash in on Eric Bailly and Marcos Rojo” in his desperate hunt for a new centre-back, according to reports.
The Daily Telegraph says United’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday has convinced the club that they can’t be serious title contenders until they bolster their back-four.
Overhaul needed
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With the club lying eighth in the Premier League, 12 points behind leaders City, the United board have thrown their support behind Mourinho’s plan to sign a top defender in the new year.
But first they need to free up some funds (and some space in the dressing room) - and that could be achieved by offloading Bailly and Rojo.
Alderweireld and Skriniar on the radar
The Telegraph says that Rojo, who has not played this season, is expected to be the first to be jettisoned, with Mourinho happy “to sell if the right offer came in”.
Bailly has also lost the confidence of his manager in recent weeks, and while the United board are more reluctant to let the Ivory Coast defender leave, they will ultimately bow to Mourinho’s wishes.
As to who the Special One will bring in, the newspaper claims that “among the options” are Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar and Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld.
A costly mistake
The Telegraph also has something to say about Alexis Sanchez, who signed from Arsenal in January on a weekly wage of £500,000 but has since scored just four goals. Now viewing his acquisition as “a costly mistake”, the Red Devils aren’t sure what to do about the Chilean flop.
Sanchez will be 30 next month and that factor, along with his wage demands, are “deterring any would-be suitors”, the paper reports. So if they do want to get him off their wage bill, it will probably involve a “huge financial sacrifice”.
For his part, Sanchez is allegedly desperate to end his Old Trafford nightmare and still clings to the hope that Paris Saint-Germain will come calling.
However, that prospect has looked less likely in recent months, with the French champions “instead training their sights on younger targets”, the Telegraph adds.
Young in talks
Meanwhile, the BBC says that Ashley Young is in talks with United over a new deal.
The 33-year-old England star is one of the old guard at Old Trafford, and Mourinho believes that he still has plenty to offer.
Young’s existing deal expires at the end of this season, and while “negotiations are at an early stage”, he is “keen to stay”, the news site reports.
