IN THE Mourinho must play for keeps OUR MISTER ONE DERFUL
De Gea is simply the greatest, says United’s Herrera PSG WANT MARTIAL IN MARC DEAL Yaya’s aim is goals to win silver
fighting for every title, they are spending money for it, and it will be a very good race for the trophies.”
With United having already signed Lukaku and Victor Lindelof, and looking to add at least one more player before the season starts, Herrera is confident they can push for the title when May 2018 rolls around.
“Yes, we won three trophies last season,” said Herrera. “But we want to fight for the Premier League.
“We had a very good season, a successful season, the last game – the Europa League final – was a really important game against Ajax, which we won, so we can say we had a very good season.
“But now we want to fight for the Premier League. I don’t like to compare the players between last season and this one.
“But we have the same ideas, the same manager and we’re going to work the same way.
“But we must improve on the draws we had at home last season.” MANCHESTER UNITED’S hunt for £60million Paris Saint-Germain star Marco Verratti has been stopped in its tracks – with the French side demanding Anthony Martial as the deal-breaker.
Holding midfield star Verratti has emerged as a Jose Mourinho target with Chelsea refusing to budge on their £50m valuation of 28-year-old Nemanja Matic.
United negotiator Ed Woodward stepped up his pursuit of Italy ace Verratti, 24, after Barcelona cooled their interest last week.
But PSG laid down the law to United, and said they will only do business if £56m former Monaco striker Martial is part of the deal.
United are unwilling to allow Martial to leave but are continuing dialogue with PSG in the hope an agreement can be struck.
In their favour is that Verratti has appointed Mino Raiola as his new agent. Raiola negotiated Paul Pogba’s transfer from Juventus as well as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
And earlier this month the Italian-born super agent brought striker Romelu Lukaku to United.
Mourinho will not be held to ransom over Matic, and has been a long-term admirer of deep-lying midfielder Verratti.
Barcelona have been linked with the Italian since the season ended but their interest has been overshadowed by PSG’s £196m pursuit of Nou Camp star Neymar.
It is understood Woodward has spoken to Raiola about Verratti in recent days and he is not averse to joining United, although Barcelona would be his preferred choice. YAYA TOURE has admitted Manchester City’s players and boss Pep Guardiola are facing a make-or-break season – with their futures on the line.
And the 34-year-old Ivory Coast star’s recipe for success is simple: goals, loads of them.
Guardiola’s much-heralded arrival at City fell flat last season, when he failed to win silverware for the first time in his glittering managerial career.
The Blues could only manage third place in the Premier League, 14 points behind champions Chelsea.
Asked if there was extra pressure on Guardiola now, midfielder Toure said: “It’s the same for the players as well.
“If we don’t, then we’ll be removed very quickly. City is now a club that has to win something every year, you know.
“I don’t want to say how many trophies we have to win, but it’s important to say we have to win something.
Clinical
“I think we’re a team that creates more chances than the rest, but our finishing was not so strong last season.
“We need to start the season quickly. If we have the chances, we have to score.
“We have to show that killer instinct and be more clinical. When the chances come, we need to score.”
At the start of last season, Toure was an outcast at the Etihad, Guardiola refusing to pick him unless his agent apologised for disparaging remarks made about the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss.
Toure’s City future looked bleak, but he was eventually recalled by Guardiola three months into the season and rewarded with a new one-year deal.
Asked how close he came to an exit, Toure – now deployed in a holding role – said: “People have been close to sending me off. But I wasn’t close to leaving.
“And I’m now playing the way the manager wants me to play.“