Jose Mourinho has the most Jose Mourinho-esque response to solve his team’s woes: sign a defender.
The Chelsea boss is, according to The Daily Mirror, lining up a summer move Raphael Varane, identifying the Real Madrid centre-half as his number one transfer target.
Mourinho is reportedly losing faith in Gary Cahill, John Terry not getting any younger and Mourinho sees Varane as a long-term defensive option, alongside fellow Frenchman Kurt Zouma.
The 21 year old defender was handed his Real Madrid debut by Mourinho in Sepetember 2011 and would cost over €30 million.
Mourinho was despondent after his side conceded two goals from corners during their Champions League elimination on Wednesday to PSG, and will reportedly be handed a transfer warchest of over €100 to rebuild Chelsea’s squad in the summer.
Manchester United will be offered a pile of cash and the pick of four PSG stars in return for last summer’s record signing, according to The Daily Express. The French side’s Qatari owners have long been keen on Angel di Maria, but had to foregoe making a transfer move last summer due to Financial Fair Play.
However, they’ve reportedly found a way around such restrictions by offering one of Blaise Matuidi, Gregory van der Wiel, Adrien Rabiot or Marquinhos as part of the deal.
United were linked with a move for midfieldder Matuidi in the past, particularly during David Moyes short tenure, and have been repeatedly reported as been interested in Brazilian defender Marquinhos.
Di Maria would also likely be interested in the move as the Argentine has failed to settle at Old Trafford since joining for £60 million, a British record fee, last summer.
Southampton have offered to double the wages of two of their star players, in an attempt to prevent so-called ‘bigger clubs’ plotting summer moves, reports The Mirror. England defender Nathaniel Clyne has attracted the attention of both Manchester United and Liverpool, while Morgan Schneiderlin is wanted by Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
The Saints want to prevent a repeat of last summer, when a number of high profile players departed, and will offer both long-term deals, reported to be £45,000 per week for Clyne and £60,000 a week to Schneiderlin, to convince them snub interest from other clubs.
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