Jose Mourinho wants Manchester United trio and Aston Villa star at Roma next season - Reports
Roma manager Jose Mourinho wants to sign a trio of Manchester United cast-offs, as well as an Aston Villa midfielder in the summer, according to reports.
The former Red Devils boss has already brought multiple Premier League stars to the Italian capital during his debut season at the club, with the likes of Tammy Abraham, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Rui Patricio enjoying their spells in Serie A.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Mourinho is set to use his extensive knowledge of English football to raid Manchester United for three fringe players, with Nemanja Matic, Diogo Dalot and Eric Bailly all on the Portuguese boss' radar.
Cesc Fábregas on José Mourinho:
"Every coach lives in his own world and every coach has his own particularities. My first year at Chelsea with José Mourinho was the best time of my career." https://t.co/J3vxwrwlEv
Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz is also a target, with the Brazilian's contract expiring at Villa Park next summer.
The Athletic reports that Matic has announced he will leave Old Trafford this summer when his current deal runs out. The Serbian has already played for Mourinho on multiple occasions across his career at Chelsea and Manchester United.
As reported by The Mail, Dalot, 23, and Bailly, 28, are surplus to requirements ahead of the arrival of new manager Erik ten Hag. Dalot has previously impressed in the Italian top-flight on-loan at AC Milan, while Bailly's time in the North West of England has been blighted by injuries.
Pinto:”I have no doubts that next season we’ll have a Roma side more prepared to win than the one we inherited. When people ask about Roma two or three months ago, we’re all far more aware now of what Mourinho’s ideas are, together with the club we are building a squad.” https://t.co/vg43SqpZ0R
Mourinho set to capitalise on Manchester United clear-out
Roma are gearing up for Thursday evening's Europa Conference League semi-final clash at Leicester, and currently sit 5th in Serie A.
Failure to qualify for the Champions League is unlikely to be good enough for a manager with incredibly high expectations such as Mourinho, who will almost certainly demand new players.
The Giallorossi are not on the same financial level as some of Europe's elite clubs, so the Serie A outfit will have to seek out bargains.
The huge success of Abraham in Italy since his arrival from Chelsea in the summer may convince General Manager Tiago Pinto to sign a higher profile of players for the club. The English forward has scored 24 goals in 46 appearances across competitions for Roma this season.
However, any major incomings will only be sanctioned if they can offload current high-earning stars such as Jordan Veretout, who The Mail reports is a target for Newcastle United.
FourFourTwo claims that new United boss Ten Hag is looking to raise funds for a squad overhaul this summer by selling £170 million worth of players. The weekly wages paid by the club to their players are also set to be reduced, with Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani, Jesse Lingard, and Juan Mata's contracts all expiring in June.
Marco van Basten has some advice for new Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag 👀 https://t.co/URHREUogMX