Jose Mourinho © Reuters |
The Portuguese tactician was handed a major blow by the long-term injury to the Swedish striker, while he’s ready to offload England’s captain in the summer.
But in losing two big names, Mourinho is desperate to recruit new, high-quality forward options as he looks to charge towards the Premier League title in 2017/18.
The Frenchman is believed to be United’s top summer target and he is set to earn more than £300,000-a-week if he completes a move to Old Trafford.
But with Ibrahimovic out of the equation, Mourinho now wants a striker to play ahead of the France international, with Morata his first-choice option.
The Spaniard is ready to leave Real Madrid in the summer after spending the season behind Karim Benzema in Zinedine Zidane’s starting line-up and the Premier League seems a likely destination, with Chelsea also interested.
Morata joining United could pave the way for David de Gea to leave for Real Madrid, with Mourinho keen to sign Jan Oblak should that become a reality.