Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Gonzalo Higuain and Kenny Tete Rumours

Jose Mourinho has reportedly advised close friends he will become the next Manchester United manager and wants to make Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain his first summer signing for around £70 million.

That’s according to Tom Hopkinson in the Sunday People (h/t the Sunday Mirror), who said the Portuguese has told pals he will head to Old Trafford at the end of the season, despite interest from Paris Saint-Germain.

Higuain, it’s said, is top of the coach’s shopping list should he get the job. Here’s a look at why Napoli could demand such a substantial sum for the player’s signature:

This term, Higuain has become one of the very best strikers anywhere in world football. The Argentina international has always been considered in the elite bracket, but this year, under the tutelage of Maurizio Sarri, he’s taken his game up another level, with the goals flowing freely for the Partenopei.

In Serie A this term, not only has he scored an impressive 30 goals in 31 game, plenty of these strikes have been vital ones for Napoli, as we can see courtesy of OptaJose:

The 28-year-old has a lot of other major positives in his game, too. Higuain is a gifted technical player and has a wonderful awareness of space around him. It means he can drop off the front, take on opponents, play neat passes and contribute in lots of other areas as well as inside the penalty area.

He’s not a typical Mourinho forward—the Portuguese usually opts for burly, physical presences at the point of the attack—although the merits of bringing him to United are clear. The player and manager worked together during a stint at Real Madrid, too.

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There’s an argument United don’t need to spend that big on a new centre-forward, though, with the youth of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford supplementing Wayne Rooney tremendously.

James Ducker of the Times would like to see more players who fit the prodigious blueprint:

Nevertheless, someone like Higuain would immediately make United a much stronger force in the Premier League, as he’s the finished article.

Players who are so thoroughbred cost a lot of money, though, and £70 million would be a remarkable sum to spend. Still, United are one of a few clubs capable of stumping up that kind of cash, and if Mourinho is to join, you suspect he’ll have been given assurances about a substantial transfer kitty.

United, Juventus to Battle for Kenny Tete

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According to Hopkinson, writing for the Sunday Mirror, Manchester United and Juventus will go head-to-head in the summer to secure the signature of Ajax’s Kenny Tete.

Hopkinson said the 20-year-old will be available for around £5 million at the end of the season after he rejected a new contract with the Dutch giants. The defender, who made his debut for the Netherlands earlier this season, has a contract that runs to 2017.

Tete is a versatile talent who can operate in the right-back and centre-back berths. Here’s a look at why he’s so highly rated:

The Red Devils could definitely do with a player in this mould. At times this term, manager Louis van Gaal has had issues at right-back when Matteo Darmian has been stricken, and a player in the mould of Tete, who is a balanced young footballer, would have been a big boost to the squad.

It’s another player who’d tick a lot of boxes as United try to build for the future. The Red Devils have a lot of adaptable, talented young footballers in the squad, and if Tete does come in, it’d be fascinating to see him develop alongside the likes of Rashford, Martial and Luke Shaw.