Manchester United transfer news: Jose Mourinho eyes Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Raphael Varane if he takes job

Manchester United are tracking Real Madrid trio Gareth Bale, Luka Modric and Raphael Varane after chief executive Ed Woodward hinted towards a big summer of investment.

Reports in Spanish media this morning suggest United are ready to flex their financial muscle and, if Jose Mourinho is appointed as expected at the end of the season, the Portuguese’s contacts in Madrid could prove invaluable.

Sport.es reveals the nature of Mourinho’s good relations with Real president Florentino Perez and speculates that United will be torpedoed back into the elite market by appointing the former Chelsea boss to replace Louis van Gaal.

Bale’s future was thrown into doubt by the decision to replace Rafael Benitez with Zinedine Zidane with rumours suggesting either the Welshman or Cristiano Ronaldo will leave the Bernabeu. Modric, on the other hand, continues to be an important part of Zidane’s squad but the Red Devils are determined to add extra flair to their squad.

“Leicester is a fantastic reference point for everybody this year,” Woodward told Nomura analyst Matthew Walker during yesterday’s investors’ Q&A session.

“Some players are bought by other clubs with an eye to them developing into something special in a few years’ time. Whereas there’s a bit more pressure on some of the other clubs to bring in players who are going to be hitting the ground running and top players verging on world class almost immediately. So there is a slightly different market in which people are buying.”