Jose set to lash £84M on La Liga star

Jose Mourinho has set his sights on signing Atletico Madrid striker Antoine Griezmann, Benfica defenders Victor Lindelof and Nelson Semedo and Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko next year as his Old Trafford revolution gathers pace.

The Manchester United manager has identified that quartet as leading targets for the next two transfer windows as he prepares to take his gross spending over the course of his first year in charge soaring past the £300 million mark.

Griezmann, Bakayoko and Semedo are all summer targets but Lindelof is expected to be first through the door next month. United held further talks with Benfica and the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, this week and are close to securing a deal worth up to £38 million, including possible add ons, for the young Sweden centre-half.

United would have to meet the €100 million (£84 million) release clause in Griezmann’s contract, which was increased from €80 million when the forward signed a new deal in June that ties him to Atletico until 2021. But they hope a potential transfer could be smoothed by the likely departure of Atletico coach Diego Simeone, who will be a free agent next summer after taking the extraordinary step this year of shortening his deal with the Spanish club by two years.

Simeone could move to Italy, with Inter Milan among the interested parties, and that may weaken Atletico’s hopes of retaining some of their best players. Griezmann, 25, who was the leading scorer at the European Championships last summer with six goals for host nation France, is also best friends with United midfielder Paul Pogba, his compatriot, and United are likely to take full advantage of the pair’s relationship in an effort to coax Mourinho’s priority summer target.

Pogba’s arrival in August for a world record £89 million fee from Juventus followed the signings of defender Eric Bailly, midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryanand striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and took Mourinho’s gross spending to £145.7 million.

That figure could swell to as much as £325 million if United pull off moves for Griezmann, Lindelof, Bakayoko and Semedo, who would cost a combined total of about £180 million. United face competition from Chelsea for Bakayoko, a £35 million rated powerful defensive midfielder who could provide a long-term alternative to Michael Carrick, and Bayern Munich for Semedo, a pacey right back valued at £25 million.

United had originally planned to sign Lindelof next summer, when a €30 million (£25.2 million) release clause in the player’s contract activates. But growing competition for the 22-year-old’s signature – who is unwilling to sign a new deal at Benfica – and the Portuguese club’s willingness to do business, despite their progression to the Champions League knockout stages, have altered the picture.