Jose Mourinho has reportedly already given Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy a three-man transfer wishlist after replacing Mauricio Pochettino as the club’s new manager.
Mourinho gave his first press conference as Tottenham manager on Thursday after being appointed on Wednesday – 12 hours after the club sacked previous boss Pochettino.
But while ‘The Special One’ faced the media, behind the scenes he has been hard at work identifying transfer targets who can restore Tottenham to the form that saw them reach last season’s Champions League final.
One of Mourinho’s top priorities will be to convince contract rebels Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld their future lies with Tottenham.
All three in the final year of their deals and could leave for free next summer – while they are only weeks away from being able to sign a pre-contract agreement with foreign clubs.
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But if he cannot persuade centre-backs Vertonghen and Alderweireld to stay, Mourinho will target Benfica defender Ruben Dias, according to The Independent.
The 22-year-old is highly sought after and has previously been linked with interest from Manchester United and Manchester City .
Mourinho will also target Sportling Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes and his former protege Nemanja Matic, according to Metro .
Matic played under Mourinho at Chelsea and at United but has fallen down the midfield pecking order at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, Sporting president Frederico Varandas has previously said that the club had rejected a £58million bid from Tottenham for Fernandes.
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Verandes said: “It was ‘impossible’ to retain Bruno Fernandes, but we did it.
“We prepared for his sale by putting a fair price on his worth, and we had bids, but only a serious offer from Tottenham that was 45m euros plus 20m in add-ons; winning the Premier League and the Champions League.”
He added: “Finding these add-ons difficult, I decided not to accept.”
Tottenham are also being linked with the likes of Paulo Dybala, who they nearly signed in the summer, former Spurs star Gareth Bale, and Napoli defender Kalidou Kouilbaly.
