Jose Mourinho has made Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema one of his top summer transfer targets for Manchester United this summer.
The Portuguese has been tipped as the overwhelming favourite to take over as the manager at Old Trafford after former manager Louis van Gaal was sacked from his post just two days after winning the FA Cup with the club.
Mourinho is said to be a huge fan of Karim Benzema, who played under him at Real Madrid. Manchester United have had their problems up front this season, as they have managed to score only 49 goals in 38 Premier League matches this season.
Star man Wayne Rooney’s failure to score the goals early on in the season has contributed greatly to this. That problem was solved to some extent with the emergence of youngsters like Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford, but the club still look like they need a top level striker who can be a consistent goalscorer for the team.
Mourinho seems to have identified this problem in the Manchester United squad and has made Karim Benzema one of his top transfer targets for Manchester United, according to a report in the Independent.
While Benzema’s season has been marred with the Valbuena sex-tape controversy as well as injuries, the Frenchman still managed to score 24 goals from 26 first team appearances in La Liga for Real Madrid.
However, it will be interesting to see if Benzema leaves regular Champions League action at the Santiago Bernabeu to move to the Old Trafford, where he will only get to play in the Europa League in the 2016/17 season.
End of Zlatan rumours?
Benzema is not the only top striker to have been linked with a move to Manchester United this week. PSG star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has also been linked with a free transfer to Manchester United. Zlatan’s currrent contract with PSG runs out in the summer and the player reportedly wants to work under Mourinho — possibly even with a view to picking up some tips for a potential career in coaching in the future.
Another worry with Benzema’s transfer is that the Frenchman will have to share gametime with Rashford, who looks like a good prospect for the future for Manchester United. The 18-year-old needs to play more games in order to develop into a top striker. However, with Benzema in the team it is unlikely that Rashford will get many chances.
