As the plot thickens over the contract extension talks between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Manchester United, it is widely being reported that the Swedish international most probably would not be featuring in Mourinho’s squad next season.
Reports of over-excessive wage demand from the ex-PSG man has said to have triggered this response from club officials who were otherwise keen on retaining their star player of the season.
Mourinho’s men have secured a spot in the Champions League group stage having won the Europa League this season and with United fighting on both domestic and European fronts, the Portuguese is already said to be lining up his options.
Let us take a look at the possibilities and how they would fare in the Red and Whites of Manchester.
#1 Andrea Belotti
The 23-year-old Italian has been a more than impressive figure at Torino going on to play an important role in the forward line where he had amassed a total of 28 goals and 7 assists during his 38 appearances for the club in all competitions.
The player has also maintained a pass success percentage of 75.2 and has also made 55 key passes in the league for his team.
Certainly not shy of tackling and winning back possession, the player has a 77% tackle success rate along with 11 interceptions.
Certainly, a goal scoring machine upfront, the youngster is also quite good at holding and winning back position in the attacking third, a quality desired and loved by Mourinho apparently.
It should come as no shock that Mourinho would keep him on his wishlist but with the player’s contract tying him to his present club till 2021, it would take a lump some amount to prise away the individual to Old Trafford.(Stats via WhoScored)
#2 Alvaro Morata
Spanish forward and two-times Champions League winner, Alvaro Morata has also been linked with a move to Old Trafford. The 24-year-old has been apparently left discontented with his lack of game time at the Bernabeu and is interested in finding his future elsewhere this summer making him a prime target for Mourinho.
The Spanish International has made 40 appearances for his club in all competitions this past season scoring 20 and assisting 5 in the process. Not bad at all, for a 24-year-old seeing the lack of first team starts he had at Real Madrid.
The player has maintained a pass percentage of 79.1 % and also contributed a total of 18 key passes for his team. Being inconsistent certainly hasn’t hindered the vision and creativity of the Real forward.
Although not too adept at retrieving the lost ball and making crunching tackles, the player does have the requisite ball control and composure to build up play up front.
Certainly a potential transfer target for Old Trafford. (Stats via WhoScored )
#3 Romelu Lukaku
This is one of the most rumoured and talked about transfer sagas of the summer. Seeing the fact that the Belgian has refused to sign a new contract with the Toffees in lieu of playing Champions League and Manchester United having fulfilled that criteria post Europa success have only added more fuel to the matter.
The Belgian had been a more than iconic figure at the Goodison Park and his performance in the recently concluded Premier League season does justify that.
The 24-year-old has scored 26 goals and 6 assists in 39 games for the Toffees this season, which goes to show the creativity and goal scoring technique of the youngster.
The player is also quite adept at keeping ball control and is also quite lethal with his speed up front which makes the forward a nightmare for any defenders. A true out and out striker with the vicious pangs of pace to inflict damage on any opponent, the Belgian is a must have for any team. (Stats via WhoScored )
Certainly, a busy transfer ahead for Mourinho it seems.
