Manchester United to target full-backs with Danny Rose on shopping list

José Mourinho is targeting a right-back and left-back in the summer transfer market, with Manchester United’s manager hopeful of prising Danny Rose from Tottenham Hotspur.

Mourinho is intent on upgrading each position, believing this will increase United’s prospects of mounting a serious challenge to the champions, Manchester City, next season.

In December Mourinho pointed to City’s £100m-plus investment in Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy last summer, a sum he characterised as “full‑backs for the prices of strikers”.

The Portuguese may have moved for Rose in January but the left-back was injured again following a 10-month layoff with a serious knee injury.

Daniel Levy has a reputation for being a difficult negotiator and Tottenham’s chairman may be loathe to allow a sale of a prized asset to United, who he would consider a direct competitor.

However, Walker was allowed to leave for Manchester City last summer for £53m – at the time a world-record fee for a defender – and Rose, who is under contract until 2021, would command a similar price.

READ MORE: Klopp eases pressure on Liverpool ahead of semi

READ MORE: Where next for departing Wenger?

In August Rose signalled his disquiet at Spurs by stating he did not want the club to sign players “you have to Google”, and that the Doncaster-born footballer will play “up north” before he retires. Rose also stated he wanted to win trophies as time was running out for him – the 2-1 FA Cup semi-final defeat against United on Saturday means Spurs will again claim no silverware this year.

While content with the contributions of Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young, Mourinho’s first-choice right-back and left-back, Mourinho is conscious that each are in their 30s and are also both converted wingers.

Valencia, the captain, is 33 in August and was a career attacker until the move to operate further back on a regular basis under Mourinho. Young is 33 in July and struggled for a berth in his usual left‑forward position until the Portuguese’s lack of faith in Luke Shaw and Matteo Darmian convinced him to utilise the England international in defence.

Darmian, who can also play right-back, may depart in the close season, and while Mourinho would listen to offers for Shaw it is understood the 22-year-old may stay on and run down a contract that ends in July 2019. Then he could leave as a free agent.