Manchester United have spent heavily this summer to bring Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku into Old Trafford but Jose Mourinho is continuing to eye further business, as he aims to prepare his side for a return to the Champions League next season.

The Red Devils’ ranks already look strong but further signings could take Mourinho’s men from title contenders into favourites for the Premier League crown, with the Portuguese boss linked with the likes of Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic, RB Leipzig’s Emil Forsberg and Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic.

Whilst it’s likely to be the attacking duo mentioned above that gets fans excited for the closing weeks of the transfer window, landing Matic may well be the key to Manchester United enjoying success this season- as the Serbian would cap-off a fantastic window.

Turning 29 in a few days time, Matic still has plenty of years ahead of him and will provide the sort of protection to the defensive line that Manchester United need- especially with new captain Michael Carrick well into the twilight years of his career.

Matic is a proven winner, having lifted the Premier League title twice in the past three years, and his relationship with Mourinho is very strong- which could bring the best out of the Serbian, following a frustrating campaign under Antonio Conte’s guidance at Stamford Bridge last season.

While it may surprise some to see Manchester United chasing the services of a player from a direct Premier League rival, Chelsea are prepared to cash-in this summer and the cooling of Juventus’ interest in Matic means there is very little alternative for Conte’s side.

Sky Sports journalist Dharmesh Shith believes Matic will certainly be leaving West London before the transfer window closes at the end of August and he’s spoken about a potential move to Manchester United, stating:

“Another likely departure from Chelsea is the midfielder Nemanja Matic. Manchester United are interested and manager Jose Mourinho has made public his desire to bring in a holding midfielder.”

“Matic had been linked with a move to Juventus but their interest has since cooled. Juventus, well that looked like a likelier destination earlier this month but their prime target appears to be Paris St-Germain’s Blaise Matuidi.”

Although not going as far as naming potential targets, Mourinho revealed earlier this week that he’s still in the market for a central midfielder this summer- opening the door for a reunion with Matic with his comments.

“I would like one player [to be] a midfield player, [that] would give me more options to the balance and the team. Another one an attacking player, especially that can play through the wings to give me more attacking options but I never speak about players that belong to other teams.”

“I don’t like if any manager comes and would say he would like one of my players, that’s not correct. I would like two more players but probably I only get one.”

Unfortunately for Manchester United fans, Mourinho doesn’t seem optimistic about his chances of landing two more players but if he had to pick, signing a central midfielder should definitely be the priority.