UNITED SPECIAL Jose is Keane on landing defender
UNITED are increasingly confident they will win the race to sign Michael Keane.
Jose Mourinho has identified the Burnley defender as a player with the potential to become Old Trafford’s John Terry.
United are preparing a bid of around £25m - but know they face competition from Tottenham, Liverpool and Everton.
Spurs could provide the greatest threat to Mourinho’s hopes of luring Keane back to the club where he started his career, given Mauricio Pochettino’s record for developing home-grown talent.
Keane would join a clutch of players at White Hart Lane - including Dele Alli, Harry Kane and Danny Rose - expected to provide the core of England’s team for years to come.
But United were confident the 24-yearold centre back was eager to return to Old Trafford - even before he allegedly told a fan that was his preferred move this summer.
Keane sparked a stir on social media by apparently telling one supporter he hoped to be back at United after posing for a selfie as he left Turf Moor on Sunday.
He was in the crowd at Old Trafford the previous week - and was seen celebrating the 2-0 win against Chelsea.
Despite Burnley’s insistence they will take a hard-line stance over negotiations at the end of the season, it is understood they accept they have to cash in on their prize asset now.
They know Keane will not sign a new deal as he enters the final 12 months of his contract.
Everton were the most proactive in January, with Ronald Koeman hoping to push the transfer and steal a march on their rivals. But United have become more serious in recent months - exploring what type of financial package it will take to land their former academy graduate.
Even if they miss out on Keane, they are in line to take 25 percent of any transfer fee after inserting a sell-on clause in his contract when Louis van Gaal allowed him to leave in 2014.
Liverpool are also interested - and it suits Burnley to whip up a bidding war.
But United believe the England international’s connection with them will prove the deciding factor.
Mourinho is weighing up a number of defensive options as he looks to make changes to his rearguard this summer.
Paris St Germain’s Brazilian centreback Marquinhos is another possibility, along with Benfica’s Viktor Lindelof, who believed he was on the verge of a move to United in January. Michael Keane will be on the move in the summer