Manchester United Transfer News: Blaise Matuidi Priority Amid Paul Pogba Rumours

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly made Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Blaise Matuidi his "priority" this summer amid rumours linking Paul Pogba with a return to Old Trafford. 

That's according to L'Equipe 21's Guillaume Dufy (h/t the Daily Star's Jonathan Green), who tweeted: "Blaise Matuidi is on the shelves of Manchester United! Real priority of Mourinho."

Mourinho has already recruited Eric Bailly and Zlatan Ibrahimovic this summer, and the capture of Henrikh Mkhitaryan appears to be imminent, per Sky Sports' Simeon Gholam.

In his first United press conference on Tuesday, the Portuguese indicated he wants one more player before the end of the window. According to the Telegraph's James Ducker, he is hoping that will be Juventus star Pogba:

The Frenchman has developed into an exceptional player since leaving the Red Devils as a youngster in 2012—he's creative, has an eye for goal, is dynamic and an outstanding dribbler.

Nevertheless, ESPN FC's Liam Twomey and Alex Shaw believe Matuidi would make more sense:

The PSG man operates as more of a holding player than his compatriot, helping to shield the back four while keeping possession ticking over with his impeccable distribution.

Indeed, while Pogba is more of an all-rounder, Matuidi has his specific job and does it well, which can be equally useful to a team's dynamic.

He and Pogba also seem to link up well together when given time and space on the ball, as they were for France against Iceland in the Euro 2016 quarter-final on Sunday, per Squawka Football:

Here are how the pair's stats from last season compare, per Squawka:

	Matuidi	Pogba
Apps	31	35
Minutes	2,061	3,018
Goals	4	8
Assists	6	12
Pass Completion	92%	83%
Chances Created per 90 mins	1.14	1.61
Tackles per 90 mins	2.36	1.64
Interceptions per 90 mins	2.01	1.40
Aerial Duels per 90 mins	0.79	1.88
Take-Ons per 90 mins	0.92	3.04

Assuming the Mkhitaryan deal goes through, Mourinho will have added a centre-back, a playmaker and a striker to his squad.

Another striker seems unlikely, as the Special One now has Ibrahimovic, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford to call on—and he confirmed on Tuesday that Wayne Rooney would not be playing in midfield, per the Mirror's Jacob Murtagh.

As such, a central midfielder seems the most likely option—the Red Devils can't afford to rely on Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick as much as they did last year.

Matuidi's presence would better allow the team's more creative talent to push forward, while Pogba would require the midfield built around him.

The former seems an easier deal to pull off—particularly after Grzegorz Krychowiak's arrival at the Parc des Princes, as Shaw noted—so it seems more likely he will be the one coming to Old Trafford this summer.