Transfer News: Manchester United Identifies Midfield Target For January, Alexis Sanchez Considers Options

Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho at Etihad Stadium, Manchester, August 21. Michael Regan/Getty

Manchester United may have begun the new Premier League season at a sprint, but Jose Mourinho clearly believes there's room for improvement.

In the transfer round-up today, United is linked with a Brazilian midfielder while rival Manchester City may no longer be favorites to sign Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal.

Here, Newsweek guides you through all the news and rumors circling the Premier League's transfer market:

Manchester United has identified Santos' 27-year-old midfielder Lucas Lima as a potential target for when the transfer window reopens in January, according to TalkSport. The Brazilian is out of contract at the start of next year, and Mourinho sees him as a possible replacement for Michael Carrick, who is expected to retire.

Across town, Manchester City has had a blow to its hopes of signing Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal as Pep Guardiola's club believes Paris Saint-Germain is now favorites, The Sun says. City looked set to sign the Chilean forward on transfer deadline day but the move fell through, and now it fears PSG will offer the £400,000-a-week wages Sanchez wanted from Arsenal.

Related: Jose Mourinho Makes Surprise Admission After Carabao Cup Win

Juventus chairman Beppe Marotta has revealed that his club would be powerless should Barcelona look to sign forward Paulo Dybala, according to The Sun. The 23-year-old has stood out as the team's star player over the past two seasons. Liverpool, however, would argue that Barcelona can be resisted after Philippe Coutinho was prevented from joining from Liverpool this summer.

Liverpool signed Naby Keita from RB Leipzig in the summer for a club-record fee, set to join up with the team next summer, but Jurgen Klopp also wants one of his teammates. According to Bild, Liverpool is planning to make a move for Leipzig's 18-year-old center back Dayot Upamecano .

And finally, after chasing Antoine Griezmann for the early stages of this summer, Jose Mourinho now even looks unlikely to get the French forward next year. According to The Mirror, the 26-year-old has decided to stay with Atletico Madrid. On Thursday, he welcomed the arrival of former Chelsea striker Diego Costa, who was expected to be a replacement for Griezmann.

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