Jose Mourinho is now considering alternatives to Willian, with Croatia’s World Cup star Ante Rebic the latest name to attract the Manchester United manager’s attention.
The Portuguese is determined to bring in the type of wide player he feels is essential to his system this summer and, although Willian has long been his primary target from their time together at Chelsea, the difficulty of a deal has led to United looking at other targets.
It’s just that, continuing what has already been a frustrating summer, there are similar complications with other options.
Ivan Perisic was the winger he wanted to bring in last year, but United couldn’t strike a deal with Internazionale and although Mourinho would greatly like the Croatian again, his brilliant performances at the World Cup have seen his price explode.
The club are naturally reluctant to pay a fee of what would be around ÂŁ80m for a player set to turn 30 this season.
While the Portuguese would of course find great use for the Welsh star, he would still want a focus on other options. This is all also why United are looking at Perisic’s international teammate Rebic, who had a similar impact at the World Cup.
Any pursuit would not quite be as complicated as other targets, since there is now a feeling the 24-year-old could do with a step-up from Eintracht Frankfurt, though United could face competition from Bayern Munich were they to eventually make a move.The Independant