Jose Mourinho Reportedly Ready to Offload Four Defenders in Pursuit of Toby Alderweireld
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has reportedly instructed the clubs' board to do whatever it takes to sign Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld in January.
The Belgium international is out of contract at the end of the season and there are claims that Spurs are ready to cash in on the defender, with Mourinho happy to offload any of four players to get his man.
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Manchester United were heavily linked with a move for the centre-back in the summer, but executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward refused to splash the cash on the likes of Alderweireld or Leicester’s Harry Maguire.
But with the Red Devils struggling for clean sheets this season and languishing in sixth in the Premier League table, Mourinho hopes his case for a new centre-back has strengthened.
According to transfer journalist Graeme Bailey, Mourinho has made it clear to the board he wants Alderweireld at the club in the New Year and does not want to wait until the end of the season.
Spurs were initially reluctant to part with the 29-year-old defender last summer but Mauricio Pochettino now appears ready to concede defeat in keeping the Belgian beyond his current contract.
The report from the Daily Staralso claims that Mourinho is open to selling any of current defenders Eric Bailly, Phil Jones, Victor Lindelof or Chris Smalling.
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However, it seems unlikely Smalling would be given the axe in January after the former Fulham man signed a new contract with the club that sees him tied down until 2022, with Mourinho saying he is happy that the English defender put pen to paper.
Mourinho has often rotated his defensive partnerships this season as he continues to search for his best pairing - even playing Nemanja Matic at centre-back as he looks to improve his questionable defence.
Lindelof and Bailly were both signed by the Portuguese manager but neither have lived up to thexpectations since arriving at Old Trafford for a combined fee of around £61m.
