Jose Mourinho has reportedly instructed Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to make one final huge push to sign Eric Dier, sanctioning a £60million bid for the Tottenham star.
Mourinho has made a new holding midfielder one of his priority signings this summer and is desperate to sign a player who can grant record-signing Paul Pogba the freedom he craves.
United have targeted both Dier and Nemanja Matic for the role, though have been rebuffed, but the Mirror claim Mourinho has now greenlit a massive take-it-or-leave-it offer in a last-ditch attempt to land Dier.
The report claims Mourinho has been harrying Woodward all summer long to sign players in an effort to build a team capable of winning the Premier League title.
Dier is the next man on his hit list after landing Romelu Lukaku and Victor Lindelof, but Tottenham have so far steadfastly refused to negotiate and insist the England international will not leave the club.
United had hoped Dier’s boyhood support of United, coupled with the offer of doubling his wage salary, could persuade him to swap north London for Manchester.
But while the 23-year-old would be open to a move, Spurs are stubbornly refusing to sell, prompting Mourinho to table one last giant bid in a desperate attempt to sway Daniel Levy into a U-turn.
If the bid fails, Mourinho could reignite interest in Chelsea enforcer Matic, though United’s hijacking of the Lukaku deal has soured relations between the clubs and the Blues are unlikely to allow the Serbian star to move to United.
That leaves Mourinho fast running out of options for the holding midfield position, with Marouane Fellaini and veteran skipper Michael Carrick the only current players in his squad who can fulfil the role.
Dier has been superb for Spurs since joining from Sporting in August 2014 and is one of Mauricio Pochettino’s most trusted lieutenants, with the Argentine coach desperate to keep him at the club.
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