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Manchester United could reportedly replace Juan Mata with Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil next summer, James Robson has claimed.

Ozil, 28, has less than nine months on his current Arsenal deal, and recent reports have suggested that he could prefer a move to the Red Devils at the end of the campaign. In response to this, Manchester Evening News reporter Robson has suggested that Jose Mourinho could sacrifice Mata in order to reunite with the Germany international.

He said: “I can’t believe Mourinho actually ever got on with him at Real Madrid, but he was highly thought of. He’s also been very good, but as seasons have gone by, it’s become a thing he’s gone missing. For the majority of his time, he’s been one of the few genuinely world-class players around the Premier League. If he’s free that changes everything. Maybe you could sell Juan Mata. I don’t see how you could have Mata, Mkhitaryan and Ozil in the same team. He’s sold Mata once before so maybe if he got Ozil, he’d sell him again.”

Former Manchester United graduate Danny Higginbotham feels Manchester United made a mistake selling the likes of Michael Keane and Jonny Evans during Louis van Gaal’s reign at Old Trafford.

Whilst United are currently in a good stead under Jose Mourinho, Higginbotham believes United were wrong to offload Keane and Evans as they could have evolved into instrumental players for the club. Keane never got his chance to impress under Van Gaal, and he was loaned out to Burnley in September 2014, before sealing his permanent move a couple of months later.

The England international has since moved on to Everton for around £30m, and he looks set to play a pivotal role in their progress under Ronald Koeman. Meanwhile, Evans was offloaded to Tony Pulis’ West Bromwich Albion back in the summer of 2015, and he has since been identified as one of the most consistent centre-backs in the division.

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has dismissed suggestions that Galatasaray are close to signing Marouane Fellaini this summer.

Galatasaray sporting director CenkUrgun recently told the press that the club would be pushing through a deal for Fellaini with the midfield enforcer heading through the Old Trafford exit door, he said: “There will be surprises, we are in talks with Fellaini. We have made an approach, we are close and if we get Fellaini we will end our pursuit of N’Diaye. We need a player like Fellaini who can shuttle around in midfield.”

However, following the Valerenga game, Mourinho has maintained his stance that Fellaini is not for sale while insisting the Turkish giants have a better chance of signing him than the Belgian in terms of probability, he said: “It’s easier for Galatasaray to get me than Marouane. If they need a manager, they have a chance, but Marouane? Forget it. He is too important to me.”

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has confirmed that defensive trio Luke Shaw, Ashley Young and Marcus Rojo will miss the start of the new campaign.

The Red Devils have won all three of their pre-season games in convincing fashion including the 2-0 victory over rivals Manchester City on Wednesday, but Mourinho is still eager to add at least one signing to his ranks with the midfield, in particular, in need of strengthening ahead of the 2017/18 season.

Prior to United’s pre-season game against Real Madrid, Mourinho delivered an injury update on his players, where he clarified that Shaw, Young and Rojo would all miss the start of the Premier League season next month. Out of the three, however, Shaw could be the earliest to return to first-team action while Rojo could be the lengthier absentee as he continues to recover from a serious knee injury.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has insisted that he was not directly involved in a deal which saw Romelu Lukaku arrive at Old Trafford this summer.

Lukaku bagged 25 goals in the English top-flight last season, and he would have been named the Golden Boot winner, had Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane not come with a flurry of goals in the final weeks of the campaign.

A reunion between Lukaku and Mourinho had looked far-fetched for the past couple of months, but the Red Devils managed to find a breakthrough in negotiations after executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward sealed the deal with the Merseyside outfit.

“The reason why he was so important and difficult to get is what he did in the Premier League because obviously there are other good strikers in football but the Premier League is a very specific habitat, a different habitat, normally they need some time to adapt and Lukaku plays in Premier League for the last four or five seasons,” Mourinho told reporters.

Manchester United will have to cough up a sum of around £50m if they are to pursue the signature of Tottenham Hotspur ace Eric Dier this summer.

As a result, speculation over his future has intensified in recent weeks with Manchester United emerging as potential contenders to secure his signature this summer, The Telegraph reports. Jose Mourinho is eyeing a long-term successor to Michael Carrick, and the England international has been earmarked at the perfect fit for the role owing to his age and experience. Carrick, 35, is likely to be limited with his first-team opportunities next season, and his successor will get the chance to cement himself as a regular at the centre of the park.