Manchester United chief Ed Woodward had an agreement with Jose Mourinho to sign a centre-back in January – and Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld was top of the list, according to the Sun.
The newspaper claim executive vice-chairman Woodward had accepted Mourinho’s demand for a new defender next month and the club are also planning a swoop for Juventus winger Douglas Costa.
The Sun report Mourinho learned of the planned raid for £36million man Costa shortly before his sacking rocked the football world on Tuesday.
OPINION
It is unlikely Mourinho’s exit will have changed United’s plans to beef up their squad in January. The frailties at centre-back have been obvious all season, with the brilliance of David de Gea not compensating for the mediocreness of those in front of him quite as often as in the past. Alderweireld is a proven performer who has been one of the outstanding players in his position since joining Tottenham in the summer of 2015. He tried to engineer a summer move to United, but the deal collapsed because Spurs chief Daniel Levy demanded a £60million fee. Levy will have to make a significant climb down in January, as the the Belgian’s valuation is plummeting by the day. He is out of contract at the end of the season, and a clause in his deal means he can be sold for £25million if Spurs trigger a 12-month extension option. It is likely United would get Alderweireld in January if they offered around £40million. Spurs must hang on to their best defender, though, at all costs.