Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Man United’s Jesse Lingard, according to ESPN.
Lingard has struggled to hold down a first team place at United over the past couple of seasons, raising suspicions that he is surplus to requirements and on the transfer list.
In fact, his best performances for United undoubtedly date back to the now Spurs manager Jose Mourinho’s era, scoring 13 goals in 2017/18.
And reporter Rob Dawson cites sources at Spurs who say that ‘Jose Mourinho is keen on a reunion with Lingard, who became a key player during his spell in charge at Old Trafford,’ and that he ‘has asked chairman Daniel Levy to explore the possibility of bringing him to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.’
Dawson’s sources also revealed that ‘discussions between intermediaries are underway.
‘Zenit St Petersburg are also interested.’
The journalist also claims that United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is reluctant to sell Lingard and has promised him opportunities during the season. However, the fact that the 27-year-old didn’t even make the bench for yesterday’s season opener suggests that those chances could be few and far between.
The deal is reportedly contingent on Spurs first selling Lingard’s former England teammate Dele Alli, who has fallen out of favour with Mourinho. Alli has not been selected in Mourinho’s first two squads this season amid rumours of a breakdown in the relationship between the pair.
An obvious question in this scenario is whether either club would consider a swap deal between the two players.
One former Manchester United manager who would sign Alli is Sir Alex Ferguson, who Mourinho recently revealed advised him to sign Alli when the Portuguese boss was United manager.
‘Sir Alex Ferguson gave me only one bit of advice in two and a half years: Buy Dele Alli. “That guy, with that mentality, the way he plays, the aggression he has in mind. This guy is the Manchester United player. Buy Dele Alli”’, Mourinho remarked.
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