Jose Mourinho is trying to identify a defensive target in whom the Manchester United board will be keen to invest during the January transfer window.

The Manchester United manager wanted to sign a central defender in the summer, but executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward was not convinced about his targets.




The disagreement drove a wedge between the two and Mourinho has played midfielders in defence this season to sometimes drive home his point about his lack of resources.

The Portuguese wants a defensive leader in his squad and according to the Times, he spent part of the last international break personally watching central defenders in order to assess the targets identified by his scouting department.
 


The Manchester United boss is trying to nail down on a target who would force Woodward and the Glazer family to loosen the purse strings in the January window.

If Mourinho manages to convince the Manchester United board to invest aggressively in a centre-back, he would want to sign Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly.

Error, group does not exist! Check your syntax! (ID: 76)


The Senegal centre-back recently signed a new deal at the San Paolo, but is open to a move to the Premier League.

Manchester United have also been keeping tabs on Fiorentina’s 21-year-old defender Nikola Milenkovic. but there are fears he is not ready to play at the level needed for the moment.

Mourinho wants to sign a ready-made defensive leader, but Woodward is reluctant to spend big money on players who are pushing 30 years old.