Jose Mourinho wants to sign £56m-rated Atletico Madrid Jose Gimenez to help bolster his defence, according to The Daily Mirror.
Gimenez, 21, is widely regarded as one of brightest defensive prospects in European football but his progress has stalled this year.
Mourinho made former Villarreal defender Eric Bailly the first signing of his United tenure in a deal worth £30m but is determined to add to his backline following their underwhelming start.
With Chris Smalling, Antonio Valencia and Eric Bailly as sidelined through injury and question marks still lingering over the likes of Daley Blind and Luke Shaw, Mourinho has earmarked Gimenez as his top target and wants United to back him by matching the Atletico defender’s £56m release clause.
The Uruguay international has only made two appearances for Atletico in the league and Europe this season, but has formed a formidable partnership with Diego Godin in the last two seasons. In fact, Atletico have kept at least four more clean sheets than any other team in the last three La Liga campaigns (48).
For more stats on Jose Gimenez, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
