Manchester United transfer roundup: Mourinho takes revenge against board over defender move; relationship with Pogba at all-time low and more – 16 August 2018

Hello and welcome to the Manchester United transfer roundup for the day! Many may have thought that the conclusion of the transfer window may have made things boring on this front but a week has passed today since the end of the transfer window and there are still transfer stories surrounding the Red Devils.

And we will get to them straight away!

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#5 Yerry Mina

Yerry Mina was linked with Manchester United

Manchester United spent the most of the window looking for a centre-back but in the end, they couldn't get one. At first, they looked in England and targeted Toby Alderweireld. However, when that didn't turn out too well for them, they looked afar and eyed Yerry Mina as one of the candidates for Mourinho's refurbished defence.

However, even that supposed deal didn't come to fruition as Mina joined Everton instead. As a result, there were claims that agent fees played a role in United refraining to get the deal over the line - but someone dismissed these claims.

Everton director of football Marcel Brands has revealed that the club didn’t pay any sort of excess agent fees to bring Yerry Mina, contrary to the claims made by Manchester United.

Brands stated that things were “simple” and that Barca insisted upon waiting until the final few days of the transfer window to complete the deal.

“No, no, it was really simple behind the scenes,” he said. “I put the offer in and Barcelona asked for a totally different amount that we would never have paid.

“Then they said: ‘Okay, we will wait until the end of the market’. We never changed our offer. That was a bit of gamble because everyone was writing about Man United and Barcelona used that, agents used that, everyone used it.”

He then added that he is not sure about the involvement of the Red Devils and revealed that Yerry Mina assured him that he wanted to join the Toffees.

“I don’t know exactly if Man United were in. The player said constantly to me: ‘I want to go to Everton.’ That was a great thing for us but you never know if Man United comes in and offers an extra £150,000 a week – every player would like to do that.”

Finally, he claimed that Barcelona made him aware of United’s interest but wasn’t sure if it was legitimate, insinuating that it was perhaps a way for the Catalans to extract as much money as possible for the Colombian.

“I don't know exactly the situation with Man United, but of course Barcelona used it. “They said to me, 'Man United are coming in'. I don't know if they did but I took a bit of a risk with that.

“That's why we were also keen on back-ups, you never know, but after the weekend before the market closed I had a confident feeling about it.”

#4 Toby Alderweireld

Alderweireld will get his big contract

Another one of those defenders that Mourinho wanted but the board couldn’t get the deal over the line, Toby Alderweireld will get his last big contract some way or the other, according to former Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas.

Alderweireld was almost certain to join the Old Trafford but Spurs didn't budge on their end and ultimately, the deal never happened, leaving United without an experienced world-class defender.

Meanwhile, Jenas stated that despite wanting him to stay at Spurs, he understands the position of the Belgian and is confident that the Bayern Munich-linked defender will get his big contract, if not at Spurs then somewhere else.

“I worry about that situation,” he said. “I think if anybody is going to be gone in terms of the window still being open in Europe, he would be the one that possibly does go.

“I’ve always hoped he would be the one that stayed but I get Toby’s situation. He’s coming to the end of his career, he wants that big contract, he deserves that big contract and he’s going to get that big contract.

“And if Tottenham aren’t the club to do it, he’ll wait and get it elsewhere.”

#3 Ryan Sessegnon

Sessegnon was linked to United

While he was linked with Spurs, at one point in the window, Manchester United were the reported frontrunners to acquire his signature. When asked about being linked with top clubs over the course of the summer, the teenager stated that while on the radar of European giants is flattering, he is focused only on Fulham.

“You always see little bits and bobs when teams are linked with you,” he said. “But I was always staying focused on playing for Fulham.

“Of course as a young player, when you get linked to these clubs playing Champions League football, it’s always flattering.”

"I'm not aware of anything right now,” he said. “I'm just playing and seeing how it goes.”

Sessegnon was linked with a move to the top echelons but Fulham's promotion to the Premier League meant that the talented youngster stayed put and will now be displaying his talent against some of the biggest clubs in England.

#2 Paul Pogba

Will he leave?

Nothing is signalling towards a happy ending between Jose Mourinho and Paul Pogba as it feels like the Frenchman might as well leave the club before August 31.

According to The Sun, Mourinho has asked Paul Pogba that if he really desires to leave the Theatre of Dreams, he will have to put in a transfer request for it to come to fruition.

This apparently happened after Paul Pogba spoke out to the media, something that really didn’t go down well with the Portuguese manager. In response, Pogba has asked Mourinho to come to him via agent Mino Raiola should he wish to speak with him formally again.

Meanwhile, Daily Mail believe that Paul Pogba is determined to move to Barcelona and will push for a move even if his rift with Mourinho heals. The rift has apparently become a secondary issue as his desire to play for Barcelona is the most important thing right now.

#1 Marcos Rojo

Rojo used as a pawn?

Not many would have expected Marcos Rojo’s name but here we are, covering a report on Mourinho using a player to get his revenge on the Manchester United board.

It seems as though the former Real Madrid manager is a hero right out of a western classic that has his heart set out on blood as a means to get one over the people who wronged him.

According to Fanatik (via Turkish-Football), Fenerbahce’s attempts to land Argentina defender Marcos Rojo has taken a hit as Mourinho has blocked the sale of the defender.

The Red Devils wanted to lighten the wage bill by getting rid of him but the fact that the Old Trafford outfit couldn’t sign a defender means that the former Inter manager has blocked one from leaving.

The board, however, can go against Mourinho and still sell him anyway.