Man Utd transfer news: Real Madrid star Toni Kroos is Mourinho’s top target

There’s a new name on Jose Mourinho’s summer shopping list, says The Sun, and it’s German ace Toni Kroos.

The Special One rates the 28-year-old as “one of the most reliable central midfielders in world football” and with Michael Carrick set to retire at the end of the season and Paul Pogba’s Old Trafford future increasingly in doubt, Kroos is seen by Mourinho to give his side a “new-look spin”.

The Independent claims that Kroos’ place in the Real Madrid squad is under threat with the Spanish giants ready to embark on a major overhaul of their resources in the summer.

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The paper adds that even before the arrival of Mourinho, United had made eyes at Kroos, attempting to lure him to Old Trafford in 2014 when he wanted to move on from Bayern Munich.

Four years later and it looks like the playmaker is ready for a fresh challenge and the Indy says United is his likely destination. Mourinho is also scouting Borussia Dortmund’s Julian Weigl but Kroos is “the primary option”.

The United gaffer admitted last week that “we need to sign a midfield player… we need balance in the team”, but if he does want Kroos he won’t come cheap.

Spanish sources believe that Real would want at least three times the €25m (£22.1m) they paid Bayern in 2014, and his agent certainly implied that was the case in comments earlier in the season.

“If you look at the fees today, and remember that Toni moved for €25m, you can say that he is the bargain of the century for Real,” Volker Struth told Sport Bild.

“The Real Madrid board are still happy to have signed a player of such class, as they told us after the Champions League final in Cardiff.”