José Mourinho is ready to spend £40 million to take Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier to Manchester United, according to a report.
Dier, 23, is an England international who has been playing for Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino in central defense this season.
But according to The Sun, Mourinho wants a replacement for Michael Carrick and plans to make Dier one of his top transfer targets for central midfield.
United's legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson claimed in his autobiography, Leading, that transfer deals with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy were "more painful than my hip replacement," referring to United's eventually successful attempts in 2008 to prise Dimitar Berbatov from White Hart Lane.
Levy is a notoriously tough operator but Mourinho appears intent on revamping his squad. Signing Dier from a potential English Premier League title rival would be a major statement of intent.
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