Willian, Maguire, Perisic and Alderweireld – Who should Manchester United sign before the deadline?

Jose Mourinho’s restlessness will ramp up this week as the Manchester United boss seeks to make some late additions to his squad ahead of Thursday’s transfer deadline.

Mourinho has been a grumpy man during pre-season – the club’s lack of transfer activity the source of his frustration as rivals Liverpool splash the cash.

Preparing for his third season at Old Trafford, Mourinho claimed he provided Ed Woodward and United’s hierarchy with a list of five targets months ago, but only Brazil midfielder Fred, Portuguese full-back
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Diogo Dalot and third-choice goalkeeper Lee Grant have arrived.

Mourinho wants two more signings, but the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter boss believes he will land just one before United open their campaign against Leicester City on Friday.

“My CEO [Ed Woodward] has known what I want for quite a long time. He knows what I want,” Mourinho told MUTV following United’s 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich on Sunday.

“I know that he tries his best for me. I still have a few days to wait to see what is going to happen.”

Barcelona defender Yerry Mina and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Croatia star Ante Rebic have been linked but who will it be? We look at the potential new faces as United attempt to dethrone neighbours Manchester City as Premier League champions.

WILLIAN – Chelsea

Willian’s work rate makes him a favourite of Mourinho’s. The 29-year-old is regularly linked during the close-season and it has been no different this time around after he reported late for Chelsea’s pre-season preparations. Signed by Mourinho from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013, Willian has been tipped to move to Manchester over the past 12 months and with disgruntled United forward Anthony Martial seeking an escape route, the Brazil international winger is seen as the perfect replacement at the Theatre of Dreams. He did, however, say he wants to remain at Chelsea following Sunday’s 2-0 Community Shield defeat against Manchester City.

HARRY MAGUIRE – Leicester City

United have an abundance of centre-backs – Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof, Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones. But all five have had their injury issues and have also been prone to errors. United could do with a calming influence at the back and England hero Harry Maguire has emerged as a serious target after his exploits at the World Cup. The 25-year-old’s rise has been rapid and his aerial presence and ability to play out from the back make him an enticing proposition, though the reported £70million fee could be a stumbling block.

IVAN PERISIC – Inter

Take two! The Red Devils are back in for Ivan Perisic. Mourinho was keen to bring the tireless Croatia winger to Old Trafford last season after signing Romelu Lukaku. Perisic’s crossing ability was seen as the perfect complement to Lukaku’s aerial threat but a move never materialised. Mourinho, however, is believed to have made the Inter star one of is his prime targets this month. After helping Croatia reach the World Cup final and with doubts over Martial’s future at United, Perisic – who is happy in Milan – could be the player to make Mourinho smile again.

TOBY ALDERWEIRELD – Tottenham 

Mina, Maguire and Jerome Boateng have all been mentioned but Belgium international Toby Alderweireld was the first defender linked with United and he is the hot favourite to become a Red Devil. Able to play in the centre of defence or at left-back, Alderweireld’s versatility appeals to Mourinho, especially amid reservations over Luke Shaw’s long-term future and fitness issues. The Tottenham star was frozen out by Mauricio Pochettino last season, while the 29-year-old is entering the final year of his contract. Negotiating with Daniel Levy, however, is never an easy task for United and it is no different this year as the Spurs chairman reportedly demands in excess of £70m.