Sidney Sladen
Manchester manager Jose Mourinho is keen on bringing two Real Madrid stars to Old Trafford as plans of summer activity gather pace at the club. According to The Express, Real Madrid duo Toni Kroos and Raphael Varane are being chased by Manchester United and they could be on their way to Old Trafford in the summer.
Mourinho managed Raphael Varane during his time at Real Madrid and a move looks possible as the Portuguese looks to strengthen his defence for next campaign.
Regarding Kroos, he only signed a new contract with the club recently; it is believed that he is unsettled in Spain. And hence, Spanish newspaper Don Balon have claimed that the Portuguese manager wants to strike a deal for both the players in the summer.
The signing of Raphael Varane and Toni Kroos will surely shake up the entire Man Utd squad as they are both high-quality players and are capable of walking into the playing XI of the Red Devils.
Toni Kroos has been a stalwart in the middle of the park for Real Madrid and has showcased his extraordinary passing skills with ease. He is their connect between attack and defence and is a key figure in Zidane’s side. Real have sometimes struggled to cope with Kroos’ absence and hence it will be difficult to convince them to part ways with the German International.
Kroos has made 1438 passes in La Liga this season and is 5th on the list of most passes made this season. Signing him would be massive for Man Utd as he would solidify their central midfield, with Michael Carrick and Bastian Schweinsteiger not getting any younger. It will be important to make sure that the club do not feel the absence of the midfield stalwarts when they call it quits and Toni Kroos would be a great choice for Mourinho to pursue.
While Mourinho has given his defenders a lot of playing time and has rotated the squad really well this season, it is really doubtful if he would really look to strengthen his defence. The likes of Smalling, Jones, Rojo and Bailly have performed well. However, if the Manchester United boss feels that he needs fresh players at the back, then Raphael Varane would be ideal.
Luke Shaw has not featured much this season and Mourinho has insisted that the player needs to show some fight to get back into the team. Assuming that Shaw doesn’t fight his way back into the team, then there is every chance that he may be replaced at the club. Marcos Rojo has featured as a left-back and has been convincingly good. If Jose decides to play Blind and Rojo as left-backs next season after selling Shaw, then a need for a centre-half will become a must as it would leave them one man short of cover.
It will be interesting to see how strong Mourinho’s interest is and if it is true that he is pursuing the French and German Combo, then Manchester United fans have every reason to be excited.
