Jose Mourinho ‘scouts Axel Witsel’ for Man Utd – but did midfield star impress for Belgium?
Numerous reports stated the Portuguese was in Belgium to watch summer target Toby Aldeweireld in action but it now seems Axel Witsel was the man on his radar
JOSE MOURINHO was in attendance of Belgium's clash against Iceland to "scout Borussia Dortmund star Axel Witsel", according to reports.
There were previous reports that stated the Red Devil boss was there to watch summer target Toby Alderweireld in action.
But it now seems that was not the case, as according to Belgian outlet , Mourinho was at the game to scout the dynamic midfielder for a potential January move.
Witsel moved to table-topping Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in the summer for £17million from Chinese side Tianjin Quankian.
And the former Benfica and Zenit man has been impressive for the German outfit - scoring three goals in 17 appearances for Die Borussen.
With no Man United players on show in the Belgium match - many questioned who United manager had his eyes on.
Mourinho himself joked that he left England because of the awful weather.
But it now seems Witsel is his primary target for the January window with the report stating the 55-year-old is "ready to pounce" on the midfielder.
Mourinho would have been impressed with Witzel's performance against Iceland.
The Belgian attempted 70 passes and pulled off 67 off them - a pass accuracy of 96 per cent.
He also won 60 per cent of his aerial battles and 50 per cent of his tackles.
From an attack point of view he had one shot during his 93 minutes on the pitch, but it was blocked.
Mourinho's midfield targets
- Declan Rice - West Ham - rising star is out-of-contact soon and will count as a homegrown player if signed
- Lorenzo Pellegrini - Roma - midfield ace enjoying a stunning season in Seria A
- Sergei Milinkovic-Savic - Lazio - long-term target for Mourinho and has been impressive for Lazio again this term
- N'Golo Kante- Chelsea - Express reported move was imminent for star Chelsea ace but new contract for the midfielder looks to have put rumours to bed
According the the , United also had their eyes on a sensational move for Chelsea star N'Golo Kante.
But with the box-to-box midfielder seemingly on the verge of a lucrative new deal at Stamford Bridge - these rumours have been put to bed.
The Red Devils are next in action against Crystal Palace on Saturday at Old Trafford.
You can follow the action on SunSport LIVE blog.
