Manchester United are reportedly set to hand their new manager Jose Mourinho a sizeable war chest in the summer transfer window to bring in some heavyweights in their quest to be back to the top. Speculations are rife that the Portuguese has been handed about £200 million to spend in the transfer market, and amongst his many reported prime targets is Real Madrid duo James Rodriguez and Karim Benzema.
Los Blancos repeated their feat of 2014 and defeated city rivals Atletico Madrid on penalties in the Champions League final once again to clinch the historic La Undecima. Cristiano Ronaldo again proved to be the front man, bagging most new headlines by scoring the winning penalty.
While Benzema has enjoyed a great season with the Madrid giants, scoring 24 goals in 26 appearances in the La Liga, Rodriguez has been left frustrated time and again because of lack of game time, but both have expressed the desire to stay with the club.
Speaking after their Champions League victory, Rodriguez said: “You never know in football but I want to stay here and my idea is to be here for many more years.
“I think I need to look forward. I’m happy here. All my people are happy. This is the ideal club and I want to be here.”
The Columbian playmaker has somewhat been a disappointment since his move to Real Madrid for a £63million transfer fee. He came into the limelight following a stellar performance in the 2014 World Cu where he won both the Goal of the Tournament and the Golden Boot. However, following his fall in the pecking order at the club, Juventus, PSG and Manchester United have all been reported to be interested in the midfielder.
His Real Madrid teammate Benzema, has also revealed a desire to stay, closing the doors to a potential exit. “I am happy here and I hope to be here for many years " Benzema said. "I thank the people in Madrid for being there for me and my family. Thanks to everybody because they are part of my life and we are going to be used to winning titles.”
The striker added, “I am very proud of the team and I am glad because it is a very important title for everybody and I have to thank the supporters, the club's president [Florentino Perez], the coach [Zinedine Zidane], the players and today we are in Madrid's history."
The Independent claim that Mourinho had identified the 28-year-old forward as a primary target as he looks to add goals to a squad that recorded United's lowest ever Premier League goal tally last season, but may need to look elsewhere following Benzema’s statements.