FA Cup winners Manchester United will finally be under the guidance of a new manager after Louis Van Gaal’s departure, and they have roped in Jose Mourinho to be LvG’s successor at the club. After a lot of heated debates between fans as to whether or not LvG deserved to continue for another season, many United fans are relieved to have Jose take up the reigns, albeit a few concerns here and there.
As witnessed in the matches in this last season, it is no secret that Manchester United are heavily dependent on Anthony Martial for their strike force, with Rashford and Rooney surging now and then. However, the entire strike force cannot be dependent on one man alone, and hence, Manchester United need to rebuild their attack.
As soon as Mourinho’s move got confirmed, the news of Karim Benzema and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Manchester United started doing the rounds.
Jose Mourinho has identified Karim Benzema as a priority target for Manchester United ahead of his impending appointment, and he has already pinpointed key targets and areas in need of strengthening in the squad left behind by the Dutchman.
Benzema, who earlier signed for Real over United in 2009, scored 79 goals in 150 appearances under Mourinho and was regarded as a key figure by the manager during his spell at the Bernabeu. However, the financial aspect might be a concern to sign a player like Benzema.
He is currently undergoing discussions to extend his £150,000-a-week contract until 2020 and there is also the issue of the player facing a potential court case in France after being charged with conspiracy to blackmail last November over an alleged attempt to extort money from Lyon winger Mathieu Valbuena using a sex tape, although Benzema denies the charge.
United are also aware that Benzema has consistently resisted offers to move to the Premier League, with Arsenal also failing to tempt him from Madrid to England.
Benzema may not be a striker as such, but the forward scored an amazing 168 goals in three seasons under his fellow countryman, playing a major role in helping them to their only La Liga title during his reign.
As far as Ibrahimovic is concerned, Sweden international Ibrahimovic is out of contract after deciding to leave French champions Paris St-Germain. As well as interest from United, the 34-year-old has been made lucrative offers from clubs in China. However, he has spoken warmly of his experience of working with Mourinho in the past and is the kind of stellar name United are looking to attract.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is understood to be close to agreeing a move to Old Trafford as a free agent in order to be reunited with Mourinho after enjoying a close relationship with the Portuguese at Inter Milan.
Ibrahimovic is obtainable and is keen to experience the Premier League, having already made an impact in the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and France.
He has won 13 league titles in those four leagues, including the two he secured at Juventus that were subsequently revoked due to the Calciopoli scandal. Another was won with Mourinho, at Inter Milan in 2009, when Ibrahimovic was named Serie A’s player of the year and won goal of the season.
The forward has spoken recently of how he wishes he had continued the relationship with Mourinho, rather than moving on to Barcelona. Despite his age, Ibrahimovic remains one of the biggest names in the game.
United have not had great success with such signings recently. They paid huge wages to Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao at the start of Van Gaal’s two years in charge but both players left Old Trafford after a single season.
