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What’s the story?
Manchester United have had a good start to the summer transfer window, having completed the signings of Romelu Lukaku from Everton and Victor Lindelof from Benfica and manager Jose Mourinho has insisted that the club will make at least two signings.
While Ivan Perisic has been touted as one of the two names, with the club heavily linked with the Croatian in recent weeks and it appears that the Red Devils' second target has also been identified. According to Italian outlet Tuttosport (via Sky Sports), Jose Mourinho has been in talks with Paris Saint-Germain superstar Marco Verratti over a potential move for the Italian midfielder.
The Italian international has been heavily linked to Barcelona but PSG have maintained that they are not interested in selling their prized-asset to the Catalan outfit. It seems, the Old Trafford outfit are ready to pounce on the situation and make their move to sign one of the best midfielder's in the world.
In case you didn’t know…
Marco Verratti, who is valued at €100m, has established himself as one of the best midfielders in the world, having played a pivotal role in PSG's rise to the top of Europe in recent years. The 24-year-old joined the Parc des Princes outfit from Pescara in the summer of 2012 and has since helped his side win 4 consecutive Ligue 1 titles.
The heart of the matter
Marco Verratti is reportedly Barcelona's #1 target for the ongoing transfer window and the Catalan outfit have had their approaches rebuffed by the Ligue 1 giants - who have been busy on their own - and are reportedly planning to make Neymar the most expensive player in the history of the game by activating his €222m release clause.
However, according to the reports, ever since Verratti hired super-agent Mino Raiola as his adviser - 5 days ago who replaced his former agent Donato Di Campli, whose comments had forced Verratti to apologize to the club and fans - he has been in contact with Jose Mourinho over a potential move to the Old Trafford outfit.
Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are some of the clients that Mino Raiola has at Manchester United, thus highlighting the close relation shared between the club and the Italian born Dutch.
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Author's Take
Marco Verratti will be a signing which can definitely help Manchester United reclaim their position at the top of English football, while also helping them end their barren run in the Premier League since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. Some may even go as far as saying that the Italian would have a bigger impact on the club than new signing Romelu Lukaku.
