Former Manchester United boss aims to hijack Erik ten Hag’s reunion with £21.4m midfielder

Ex-Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is plotting an ambitious move to poach one of his club’s midfield transfer targets this summer, according to reports. Mourinho, who managed the Red Devils for two and a half years between 2016 and 2018, was recently appointed manager of Turkish giants Fenerbahce and is currently in the process of trying to assemble a team that is capable of winning the SuperLiga title for the first time in 11 years.

So far this summer, he has already acquired former Newcastle United fan favourite Allan Saint-Maximin on a season-long loan deal from Al-Ahli, as well as former Leicester City defender Çağlar Söyüncü and Sevilla centre forward Youssef En-Nesyri.

However, Mourinho’s summer overhaul is far from finished and the next name on his transfer radar appears to be former Manchester United midfielder and World Cup semi-finalists Sofyan Amrabat, according to reports from The Mirror.

Amrabat was previously the subject of a long-running transfer saga between Manchester United and Fiorentina last summer, which eventually resulted in an £8.5m loan agreement which included the option of a permanent deal for a fee in the region of £21.4m, as per Sky Sports.

The Moroccan initially struggled to adapt to life at Old Trafford due to injuries, but over the course of the season showed signs of promise in a variety of different positions as he helped his team win the FA Cup over rivals Manchester City.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag, amid an uncertain few weeks at the end of the season, failed to act quickly enough to activate the player’s buy-out clause immediately after the season - in what was likely a move made with the intention of signing him for less than the £21.4m agreed last year.

Despite his underwhelming first season, the Red Devils do still see Amrabat as a potential squad option moving forward, particularly if they are to offload a player like Scott McTominay to Fulham. Amrabat showed much greater potential in the second half of the season and had just begun to show signs of winning the fans over in the latter stages of the campaign.

Reports in Turkey state Mourinho’s men have had an initial offer of £8.4m rejected for Amrabat, but add that Fenerbahce are likely to come back once again with an improved offer in the next few days. 

If Manchester United are still hoping to sign Amrabat then they will need to be quick and decisive in the coming weeks to avoid the risk of losing out to the 19-time Turkish champions.