Jose to bid for Alexis
Jo s e Mou r i n ho ha s made his peace with Manchester United – after his v ice- chai rman Ed Woodward promised to do all he could to deliver £120m Alexis Sanchez.
The United boss has given Woodward assurances that he has no intention of walking out on a contract that still has two-and-a-half years to run if United take up the option of a 12-month extension.
And Woodward has told Mourinho he will be given the club’s full backing in the transfer market after the Por t u g ue s e ma na g e r complained that the £300m he has spent on new recruits is not enough.
Now United are looking to make a huge statement of intent by snatching Arsenal contract rebel Sanchez from under the noses of Manchester City.
Uni ted insist they are willing to meet the Gunners’ £ 35m asking price for the 29-year-old.
And they have a lso put together a financial package including wages, a signing- on bonus and agent’s fee that will add another £ 85m to the price.
Uni t ed m id f ielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has also been mentioned as a possible makeweight in a deal that would represent a massive outlay for a player who will be out of contract in just four months’ time.
But Mourinho has made it clear that he wants United to take the opportunity to seize Sanchez now.
Mourinho, whose side host a Stoke side tomorrow night which is still managerless after Espanyol boss Quique Sanchez Flores snubbed the chance to take over from Mark Hughes, said: “Our squad was not meant to have new players in January.
“But if a fantast ic opportunity is put on the table then you fight for that.
“If we do something now, it has to be something we really believe is the right thing.”