Jose Mourinho Talks Contract, Neymar to PSG, Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has revealed he is open to letting his contract at the club run down before making a decision to extend his stay at Old Trafford. He also believes the Red Devils saved over £100 million by getting their business done before Neymar's move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Mourinho spoke exclusively to The Times' Oliver Kay (h/t The Sun's Lee Astley) and said: "I don't need a new contract to work to my limits. I don't have a problem to arrive at the end of my contract and be free to decide what I want to do and the club free to decide what they want to do."

The Special One is a year into his three-year deal at Old Trafford and has the option to stay for a fourth season.

Mourinho added that while he has enjoyed fulfilling his ambitions of working around Europe following stints with Inter Milan and Real Madrid, "England is my passion and at this moment I can say I would like to stay many years."

The 54-year-old guided United to a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League last term but won the UEFA Europa League and the EFL Cup, and a strong start to this season has seen the team win three out of three matches with 10 goals scored and none conceded.

This earned him recognition from the Premier League, per United's official Twitter account:

The Portuguese coach continues to relish the prospect of restoring the club to the glory days of Sir Alex Ferguson: "It's about having the most challenging project that I can have. In this moment the United one is great because the club was and is living a new period—the post-Sir Alex period."

Mourinho was also relieved the club got the bulk of their transfer activity done prior to Neymar's world-record transfer on August 4, which saw him swap Barcelona for Paris after PSG met his £198 million buyout clause.

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Victor Lindelof was signed in June for £31 million, while Romelu Lukaku and Nemanja Matic were brought in the following month for £75 million and £40 million, respectively. 

Mourinho said:

"I think we were very clever. We thought that something could happen that could change the market forever.

"Normally the last part of the market is less expensive, but this season, after Neymar, everything changed—and changed for the worse in terms of prices.

"I think Lukaku on August 31 would have been £150 million. Matic would have been £60 million or £70 million. Neymar changed everything.

"People look to the £200 million figure now. Now the players of £20 million became £40 million, the players of £40 million became £60 million and everything changed."

Price tags appeared to skyrocket this summer, and the Brazilian's move was a major factor. In the wake of Neymar's transfer, Ousmane Dembele moved to Barca for £138 million, while PSG will have to pay £166 million for 18-year-old loanee Kylian Mbappe next summer if they make the move permanent.

Football writer Liam Canning was pleased with the timing of United's recruitment:

Getting business done early is always a good move in the transfer market for a multitude of reasons, and this year it came with an added bonus for United as it allowed them to avoid paying a further premium after Neymar shattered the expectations of what a club might pay for a player.

That may in fact have been more luck than judgement on the Red Devils' part, but either way the result is the same, and it could free them up to continue spending in future windows.