Jose Mourinho Announcement Reportedly Expected, Louis Van Gaal Discusses Future

Jose Mourinho has already signed a deal to become Manchester United manager and will be announced as the replacement for incumbent Louis van Gaal in the next two weeks, according to reports in Portugal. 

Portuguese daily Jornal de Noticias claimed Mourinho has "agreed terms" to take over at Old Trafford this summer after months of increasing pressure on Van Gaal (h/t Sun's Jamie Gordon).

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According to the Daily Star's Jack Wilson, Mourinho will be given a £300 million war chest to spend this summer when he replaces Van Gaal at the helm, with some targets already in sight.

Gordon mentioned Benfica starlet Renato Sanches and Braga's Rafa Silva as two of the players linked with moves to Manchester, and it's no coincidence both those players share an agent with Mourinho, Jorge Mendes.

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Some have suggested Van Gaal could save his job if he manages to win this season's FA Cup, having advanced to the final on Saturday after United defeated Everton 2-1 in their Wembley semi-final.

However, the Sun's Neil Custis appeared on Sky Sports' Sunday Supplement this week and said even victory in football's oldest club tournament won't save Van Gaal from the Old Trafford axe:

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I'm sure the decision has been made and that Mourinho will come in next season. Everywhere he has gone he has achieved success. That suggests to me that he's the golden ticket.

I don't think [the FA Cup semi-final win] should mask what we have witnessed over the last 18 months under LVG, which has been pretty poor. If we'd seen more of those performances over the last 18 months there would be no question over the last year of his contract.

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The Dutchman has a year left on his contract with the club, but when asked about his United future beyond the end of this season, Van Gaal said the situation lies in the hands of the club's hierarchy, per the Daily Mail's Rob Draper:

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I'm not looking beyond this competition and the FA Cup because we live in the present and the future I will discuss with my board. Do I assume I will be here? You repeat what I have always said, so it's not news.

It's not for me to judge. It's for the board of Manchester United. You can also be positive about the semi final maybe, about the way we have played, you can also ask questions about football?

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The Telegraph's Paul Hayward also appeared on Sunday Supplement and agreed FA Cup victory wouldn't be enough to keep Van Gaal in the role, adding: "I don't think it is, and even if they did win the FA Cup I think there would still be a strong case for moving him on."

Blogger Liam Canning even went so far as to say the Red Devils should have appointed Mourinho all the way back in December when he was relieved of his duties as Chelsea boss:

Months of speculation regarding Mourinho's potential arrival at United appears to be coming to a head, and the consensus suggests the current boss could be ousted irrespective of United's FA Cup success.

The Red Devils could even announce their managerial coup before Van Gaal's had his chance at FA Cup glory on May 21, with Mourinho potentially edging one step closer to a Premier League return.