Manchester United Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Jose Gimenez, Billy Gilmour

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has reportedly made Atletico Madrid youngster Jose Maria Gimenez his top defensive target and wants the club to sign off on a £50 million move.

That's according to the Daily Mirror's John Cross, who said a summer bid is more likely than a January move. It's suggested Mourinho sees the 21-year-old as the long-term solution to United's defensive issues, and the Portuguese may be eyeing a potential partnership of Gimenez and Eric Bailly.

Gimenez has a £56 million buyout clause and has long been regarded as one of the world's top young defenders. Arsenal have tried to land him in the past but were shocked by Atletico's demands, as noted by Cross.

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The Uruguay international formed a fantastic defensive pairing with compatriot Diego Godin last season, playing a key role in Atletico's run to the UEFA Champions League final.

Blessed with incredible athleticism and physical abilities, he's excellent at attacking forwards head on and utilising his positional instincts when out of possession.

Here's a look at some of his highlights:

Gimenez frequently pops up in transfer rumours, usually involving Premier League clubs, but most of the recent speculation seems to be based on the youngster's reputation rather than his play.

He hasn't featured for the Rojiblancos all that much in the current campaign, as he suffered an injury in September and didn't impress all that much when he did play. Stefan Savic has been manager Diego Simeone's preferred option alongside Godin, and the Montenegrin has impressed so far.

Per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan, Atletico have an even better prospect waiting in the wings, as Lucas Hernandez is expected to see his playing time increase in the coming months:

The reported £50 million price tag is steep for a player who is essentially Atletico's third-best centre-back right now, although an investment in Gimenez is one for the future, not the present.

There's another factor to consider, and that's Atletico's impending transfer ban. As reported by BBC Sport, the Rojiblancos―and rivals Real Madrid―will be unable to register any new players in January or the summer transfer window, and that will limit any outgoing transfers.

Atletico are unlikely to sell Gimenez in that period for any fee other than his buyout clause, knowing full well they can't register a replacement until 2018. Hernandez is talented but too inexperienced to be plugged in as the main backup to Godin and Savic right now.

Elsewhere, the Sun's Matt Heath-Smith reported United are ready to battle Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City for the services of Rangers youngster Billy Gilmour.

The 15-year-old, who is currently representing Scotland at the 2016 Victory Shield, is widely regarded as one of his nation's top young talents and turned in a man-of-the-match performance in the 2-0 tournament win against Northern Ireland.

Darren Cooney of the Daily Record attended the match hoping to watch Celtic prospect Karamoko Dembele but, instead, he came away impressed with the Rangers teenager:

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Dembele never made it on to the pitch, but the ones who did impressed the small crowd at the complex and the thousands who watched the live stream.

And none more so than Billy Gilmour. The Rangers midfielder won the man-of-the-match award with a performance of guile, technique and awareness beyond his 15 years.

One influential coaching figure within the Scottish game who was at the Oriam remarked, "the boy’s destined to play in Rangers first team before he’s 17."

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Celtic and City have made their youth academies a priority over the last few years and have become a popular destination for talented youngsters. The success of Marcus Rashford means United can also present players like Gilmour with a great sales pitch.

But according to Heath-Smith, the player's family want him to stay at Ibrox, and a move for the youngster could cost as much as £3 million, which is a steep fee for a 15-year-old.