Mourinho set to offer Roma £47.6 mln for Kostas ManolasJanuary 10, 2017 - 11:40 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Jose Mourinho is determined to strengthen his defence with a new centre-back and will offer Roma £47.6million for Kostas Manolas, The Sun reveals. The Manchester United manager has said he does not intend to buy another defender but behind the scenes is still working on a deal for the Greek international. SunSport reported how Mourinho had initially coughed up £32.5m for Manolas. That came after talks with Victor Lindelof hit a wall – despite Benfica and Vasteras recently agreeing a sell-on fee. And last May, when Mourinho started looking at which players he would like to sign, he paid special attention to Manolas and team-mate Alessandro Florenzi. But Roma, who currently sit just four points behind Serie A leaders Juventus, are reluctant to lose one of their most sought-after assets. And they will test the Portuguese's resolve - and that of owners the Glazer family - even more by refusing to budge from their valuation of a massive £52m. United are keeping up their pursuit of Manolas while not ruling out a move for Benfica's Lindelof - whose girlfriend recently dropped a massive hint regarding his future. One of these two players will be the future of a United defence that has been strengthened by the return to form of Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo. Top stories Armenian gymnast, Olympic bronze medalist Artur Davtyan has reached the finals of the World Cup. Gor Manvelyan has denied reports alleging that he has expressed a desire to one day play for the French national team. Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not considering FC Spartak Moscow as his next haven, according to fresh reports. 10 Armenian lifters will compete in the 2021 World Championships scheduled to be held from 7 to 17 December in Tashkent. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. |