Manchester United are reportedly plotting a move to bring Inter Milan midfielder Joao Mario to Old Trafford in a deal worth around £40 million.
Jose Mourinho is intent on clearing the deadwood and bringing in the players he wants at Old Trafford. The Sun claims that the Portuguese is set to show the exit door to Henrikh Mkhitaryan and is looking to land Inter Milan midfielder Joao Mario, who is likely to cost around £40 million.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan seemed to started the 2017-18 on the right note, with some brilliant performances driving Manchester United to wins with his contribution. However, as the contributions dried up, so did his influence on the game, with the Armenian slowly slipping away from being a starter early season to jostling to even make the bench.
Jose Mourinho recently exclaimed that he had better options available at his disposal currently. And the Armenian’s flat display against Southampton is likely to be the last straw, with the player being linked to an exit from the club come January. Inter Milan are among the frontrunners for the 28-year-old.
The Portuguese is now looking to bring in his compatriot Joao Mario, a player he was linked with from the European Championship in 2016 as the potential successor to Michael Carrick in United’s midfield. The player joined Inter Milan for £40 million after the Euros.
But, the player has failed to establish himself at San Siro and his current manager Luciano Spalletti has admitted to the 24-year-old being unhappy at Inter. With so much speculation surrounding the midfielder, the player is likely to be on the move, be it January or at the end of the season.
A move to Man Utd imminent? Joao Mario is ‘unhappy’ at Inter! #MUFC https://t.co/zZ2mLb5efM pic.twitter.com/PAvQ90S1BA
— Goal (@goal) December 29, 2017
At United, Jose Mourinho is still struggling to get the midfield right. Michael Carrick was replaced by Nemanja Matic in the midfield in order to enable Paul Pogba. But, the results have begun to peter out, signalling the need for addition of more creativity in the lineup.
One of the cornerstones of every successful United team has been the presence of a creative midfielder in a quarterback role, highlighted in the Sir Alex Ferguson era. Paul Scholes was the poster boy for the role while Michael Carrick took the mantle from his fellow United man once the Englishman hung up his boots.
But, the present United squad lacks a similar character. The last few games saw Paul Pogba attempt to do the needful in the role but his impact on the team has been marginalised by the Frenchman sitting deep often. Thus, Mourinho needs to partner the dynamic midfielder with a player who can take up the role and free up Pogba to be more adventurous.
Joao Mario did do a commendable job for Portugal in Euro 2016 in a similar role and he could now be brought over by United to do the same at Old Trafford. The Red Devils though, will have to spend at least £40 million, with Inter Milan unlikely to want to suffer a loss in the overall transaction involving Joao Mario.
But, when you see the potential impact it can have on United’s fortunes going ahead, the fee seems a more than fair trade-off. This looks like a move that could well happen. The summer transfer window though, seems to be a more realistic time for a move, if any.
