Reds told to stump up £27m for Dendoncker
UNITED will have to pay up to £27m to sign Anderlecht midfielder Leander Dendoncker in January, according to the club’s general manager Herman Van Holsbeeck.
M.E.N. Sport previously reported that United made an enquiry about the 22-year-old after he made a big impression against Jose Mourinho’s side in the Europa League quarter-final back in April.
The towering midfielder scored a late equaliser in the first-leg in Brussels before a commanding display in the return fixture at Old Trafford; tellingly, Mourinho made a point of seeking him out at the final whistle at the Theatre of Dreams.
United cooled their interest in the Belgium international once they signed Nemanja Matic in July and M.E.N. Sport understands they have made no contact with Dendoncker’s camp ahead of a potential January move.
But van Holsbeeck has been keen to address the latest round of speculation amid fresh interest from West Ham.
“Dendoncker was already busy in the previous transfer period,” he said.
“But now that Kara is injured, Leander is doing a great job as a central defender and we’re not going to let our star go. Unless there is an insane bid perhaps.
“These are matters that are discussed. A transfer for €25-€30m is possible, but then we also need a replacement right away.”
Dendoncker has made 140 appearances for Anderlecht’s first team since making his debut as a teenager in 2014. TARGETS will already be swirling around his head.
But it seems Jose Mourinho will again wait until the spring to hand over his wishlist to Ed Woodward as he looks to sign a right-back, central midfielder, No.10 and superstar forward.
Mourinho, traditionally, does not use January for incomings or indeed outgoings unless a player asks him to leave, as Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin both did a year ago. JUSTIN Kluivert has revealed what United manager Jose Mourinho told him after the Europa League final last May.
The Ajax youngster was seen deep in conversation with the Portuguese following the Reds’ 2-0 victory in Stockholm. It led to speculation the
Even Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who has made just two starts since November 5, is unlikely to request a transfer and Mourinho still values him.
The Portuguese has not made a habit of apologising but thought nothing of saying sorry to Mkhitaryan in front of the whole squad after hooking him at halftime of United’s win against Derby.
Jiri Jarosik, Maniche, Goran Pandev, Emmanuel Adebayor and Diego Lopez are just some of the short-term fixes he has turned to over the years; none of these type of players would enhance United’s squad right now. 18-year-old winger could move to Old Trafford. One publication even hired a lip-reader to interpret footage of what was being said, leading to claims Mourinho was inviting the son of Dutch legend Patrick Kluivert to join him at United.
However, Kluivert Jr said: “He just liked to see me. Mourinho knows me from the time that I was a little boy and my father played at Barcelona when Mourinho worked there as an
Indeed, Mourinho probably thought Zlatan Ibrahimovic could fulfil that role when he re-signed him, but the 36-year-old has struggled since making his long-awaited comeback in November.
But throughout his career, Mourinho has made some astute signings in the January transfer window ahead of the players’ values skyrocketing: from Kurt Zouma and Bertrand Traore to Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah.
The type of players that would convince him to make a move this month.
“I’m not a big defender of the January market but there are players and situations that sometimes you have the chance to do and you shouldn’t lose that chance,” he said last month.
“I don’t like the January market just to buy [for the sake of buying]. But if you can buy one you would buy in June, with the chance a few months before, then great.”
Is it any wonder, then, that United assistant trainer.” It hasn’t stopped continuing speculation that the youngster could fit the bill for United. Mourinho wants to add a right-winger to his squad after failing to prise Ivan Perisic away from Inter Milan last summer.
Kluivert – who can play on the left or right – has been making waves since breaking into the Ajax team.
He has played 14 times, scoring five goals, this season and has big are not contemplating signing either Mesut Ozil or Malcom in January? M.E.N. Sport previously revealed that a mid-season move to a Premier League rival was off the table for Ozil – even if Arsenal were to recoup a sizable fee of their original investment as he entered the final six months of his contract. United, too, have still to make contact or show a formal interest although it is an inevitable nobrainer for both parties. Given his budget constraints - it already seems unlikely Mourinho will be given more than £150m to spend in the summer - signing an ally like Ozil on a free transfer solves his No.10 dilemma. Particularly when he is returning to something resembling his best form. Ozil, too, is desperate to win a title again and the penny has long dropped ahead of turning 30 in October. It is not about No.10 shirts or earning £202,000-a-week; it is about leaving a real legacy. That is why he would even be Jose Mourinho ambitions of emulating the success of his father, who starred for Ajax, Barcelona and AC Milan and was once a serious target for former United chief Sir Alex Ferguson.
“I want to keep the Kluivert name high,” he said. “Everyone knows the name. That must motivate you.
“I’m going to the top like my father. Maybe it will be a bit less, maybe better. I don’t find it irritating, though. He just makes me proud.”