Manchester United are reportedly lining up a summer move for Atletico Madrid forward Yannick Carrasco.
Spanish publication Don Balon have reported that Jose Mourinho has set his sights on Atletico Madrid forward Yannick Carrasco and Manchester United are preparing a huge offer to land the Belgian international in the summer transfer window.
Atletico signed Carrasco in a £17 million deal from AS Monaco last season, and having arrived at the Vicente Calderon with a burgeoning reputation, he has gone on to enhance it superbly. A steady start to life in the Spanish capital has now been followed by a fruitful second season for the Belgian.
Carrasco has, in fact, been one of the better performers for Atletico in the current campaign, bagging 14 goals and 5 assists in 45 appearances in all competitions for the club. However, the 23-year-old doesn’t enjoy a particularly good relationship with his manager Diego Simeone, having had a run-in with him on more than one occasion.
That has prompted clubs to spring into action in an attempt to lure him away from Atletico in the summer. In fact, the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and PSG have all been linked with Carrasco in recent months, but none of these clubs have managed to make a concrete offer to sign him.
However, Manchester United is prepared to make a huge offer for Carrasco in the summer, with Jose Mourinho is believed to be keen on the Belgian international. The Portuguese tactician is of the opinion that Carrasco is a player who will add a lot of value to his side.
Indeed, Carrasco brings an element of directness from the wings that no one in the present Manchester United squad seems to possess. Thus, he could complement the creativity provided by Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Juan Mata, alongside the pace of Anthony Martial.
These are the characteristics that Mourinho believed will make Carrasco a perfect fit in his squad and become an influential figure at Manchester United. However, there’s one big stumbling block that the Red Devils face in their pursuit of the 23-year-old.
Manchester United must qualify for the Champions League next season in order to be successful in their attempts to sign Carrasco. Thus, clinching a place in the Top 4 in the Premier League or a Europa League triumph is imperative for the club if they are to land their man in the summer.
It now remains to be seen how Manchester United finish the season in the two months that remain of it, but they now know that Champions League qualification is vital for one more reason now – securing the services of Carrasco.
