Jose Mourinho remains confident Manchester United will make more signings before the transfer deadline, but his bad mood is dominating the sports pages once again.
The Portuguese has grown increasingly frustrated at a lack of signings and at the absence of United players who featured at the World Cup, which have combined to disrupt the team's pre-season tour in the U.S.
According to the Daily Mirror, the players are growing fed-up with his demeanor, particularly after he criticized Antonio Valencia, Anthony Martial and most of United's youth players. The Daily Express and the Telegraph have more of the same, suggesting United are "on edge" and that Mourinho is close to "meltdown".
The Guardian, meanwhile, strikes a more positive tone, suggesting the board has told "The Special One" he will be backed in the nine remaining days of the transfer window and that he does not have to sell before he buys. In fact, Mourinho is confident of making at least one more signing.
"I am confident I will get one, but I think two I am not going to get which is not a drama," Mourinho told beIN SPORTS. "If I get one player until the end of the market, that's fine."
United are nevertheless preparing to wave goodbye to Marcos Rojo, with the Telegraph suggesting the Argentine is close to complete a move to Everton for approximately $26 million.
The Manchester Evening News, meanwhile, believes Rojo will cost around $40 million. Either way, the deal would allow United to raise funds to sign a new defender, while simultaneously getting rid of a player who has never managed to establish himself as a first-choice option at Old Trafford.
If Mourinho does land a new defender, the chances of it being Harry Maguire are increasingly slim, with the Daily Mirror reporting Leicester City are prepared to almost double the England international's wages to $125,000 a week.
Chelsea are also looking to bolster their defensive options and the London Evening Standard suggests the Blues have made a $46.7 million bid for Juventus defender Mattia Caldara. New Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri has also opened negotiations with Inter Milan for midfielder Matias Vecino, which casts further doubts over the future of Tiemoue Bakayoko.
Meanwhile, the Blues could be handed an unexpected boost in their quest to sign Gonzalo Higuain after Olympique Marseille opened negotiations over Olivier Giroud. The former Arsenal striker only joined Chelsea in January but has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, and the Daily Mirror believes that could facilitate Sarri's task of signing the Argentine.
The Telegraph, however, claims Chelsea have made Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski their number one target for the summer, despite his $105 million price tag.
Elsewhere, the same paper believes Liverpool are set to offer a Sadio Mane a new long-term deal, as they did with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, while the Daily Mirror claims Simon Mignolet could be sold after falling behind Alisson and Loris Karius in the goalkeeper pecking order.
According to the Guardian, Fulham are on the verge of signing Alfie Mawson from Swansea in a $26 million deal, while fellow newly promoted side Wolverhampton Wanderers have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore. The Express and Star claims Wolves have had a bid for Traore turned down and could lose out to Huddersfield in the race for the player.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
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