Jose Mourinho has identified Valencia winger Carlos Soler as his main Manchester United transfer target in January as the club weigh up a player-plus-cash deal involving Andreas Pereira, according to The Independent.
The report claims that Mourinho is unlikely to be busy during the winter window, but is keen to bring in a winger after missing out on Ivan Perisic in the summer.
The club do not have huge funds to spend in January, and so they are considering using left-winger Andrea Pereira as part of the deal to bring in talented 20-year-old Soler, who is rated at £40million.
Pereira is currently out on loan at Valencia from United, and has claimed that he is happy at the Mestalla.
Good move for Manchester United?
The young Soler is undoubtedly a big talent, having provided four assists in 11 games this season. However, the loss of Pereira would be a strange one, as the youngster has always been highly-rated at Old Trafford. The Belgian attacking midfielder has been on the fringes of United’s first team for a few years now, but has never made the jump up permanently. He enjoyed a successful loan spell at Granada last season, and his form for Valencia this term suggests he would be a big loss for the team that nurtured his development.
This is Futbol rating: 5/10
Likely to happen?
All things said, Mourinho is not known for his ability to bring through young players. Pereira looks to be the latest casualty of Jose’s reliance on bringing in outside players, and will be a big loss to United. However, Soler is also one for the future, and represents a fix for United’s problems out wide. The 20-year-old is still raw, but can offer the pace and quality delivery that Mourinho is crying out for.
This is Futbol rating: 7/10