Wenger Joins Mourinho In Race For Jose Fonte
Fresh Reports claim that Arsenal have joined Manchester United in the race for Southampton center back Jose Fonte.
Jose Mourinho has been keen on signing the 32-year-old, and Arsene Wenger has now stepped in, and is looking to hijack the deal from Manchester United.
Mourinho wishes to sign the Portuguese veteran as he looks to add more depth and experience to his current squad.
United have already signed a defensive option this summer, Eric Bailly, but their defence line lacks an old and experienced player, with Chris Smalling currently being their oldest defender, at 26-years-old.
Mourinho already has Chris Smalling, Daley Blind, Phil Jones, and Eric Bailly to call upon if he seeks a center back, but none of them have the leadership abilities to captain a title winning squad.
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The reason that Manchester United are stuck with most of these defenders is because of their relatively high wages, and offloading them would not be as easy as it sounds, because other clubs are reluctant to meet these wage demands.
Jose Fonte offers an affordable and reliable option for Jose Mourinho. He is currently the captain of Southampton, and even helped Portugal win the European Championship earlier this year.
However, Jose would have to fund the transfer by selling members of his current squad, as the United board have already released their maximum amount of funds for the summer. Since the arrival of Mourinho, United have made almost £150 million worth of signings, including the record-breaking deal for Paul Pogba.
Arsene Wenger has been under pressure from Arsenal fans due to his lack of activity in the transfer market. Criticism hit an all-time high when Wenger lost his first match of the 2016/17 season.
The Gunners were previously linked with Valencia defender, Shkodran Mustafi, but the Spanish side are not budging on their £30 million price tag.
Should Arsenal and Manchester United get into a bidding war for Jose Fonte, United would be the probable winners, as Mourinho is much more keen on spending money compared to Arsene Wenger.
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