Manchester United are running out of time to add new players to their squad.
The transfer window closes on Thursday, August 10, and the Premier League season begins the following night as United host Leicester City at Old Trafford. On the club’s pre-season tour of the United States, Jose Mourinho has stated that he isn’t happy with United’s transfer business so far.
They have signed Brazilian midfielder Fred. Diogo Dalot, a young full-back, and Lee Grant, a backup goalkeeper, have also arrived.
Mourinho now appears to have accepted that he will get just one more new player before the window closes.
“I am confident I will get one, but I think two I am not going to get – which is not a drama,” he told beIN Sports.
“In every pre-season, it happens the same, with every club, which is that the manager wants more. It’s our nature, you always want more for your team, but then club decisions are different and normally you don’t get what you want, which happened during all my career. So, if I get one player until the end of the market, that’s fine.”
It looks like that player could be Colombian defender Yerry Mina. According to Duncan Castles, writing on Yahoo Sports, United are looking at the possibility of signing Mina from Barcelona as he will cost less than other defensive targets, such as Harry Maguire and Toby Alderweireld.
United currently have five senior central defenders – Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly. But it appears Mourinho isn’t happy with his options.
Maguire impressed for Leicester last season and for England at the World Cup and the report claims that the Foxes could now demand up to £75m for the defender. United have also found it difficult to complete a move for Alderweireld from Tottenham. The Belgian defender could command a similar fee, which has prompted United to look elsewhere.
That has led them to Mina, who only joined Barcelona from Brazilian side Palmeiras in January. He cost around €12m at the time and only played six times for the Catalans. But he would undoubtedly move for a lot more if the deal to Old Trafford goes through.
Mina, who scored three times for Colombia at the World Cup, had been linked with a transfer to Everton before the United speculation began. According to Castles, the 23-year-old has been scouted by United since 2016, when Mourinho arrived at the club.
