N'Golo Kante Was Manchester United's Number One Target This Summer

Manchester United are having a pretty panicked end of transfer window as they try to get one last deal over the line with Jose Mourinho desperate to get one more defender in before 5pm on Thursday. Whatever happens he won't be signing his top target.

United have so far only signed three players this summer with third choice goalkeeper Lee Grant joining full back Diogo Dalot and central midfielder Fred through the door at Old Trafford.

Considering they finished 19 points behind Manchester City last season it seems unlikely that those additions will be enough to stop their rivals from topping the league, so it's no surprise they're trying to get another player in.

According to differing reports they want to sign Toby Alderweireld, Harry Maguire, Yerry Mina or Jerome Boateng, with a centre back very clearly the number one target at Old Trafford.

However according to reports it seems that wasn't always the case and it was actually a central midfielder top of Jose Mourinho's wish list, and it wasn't Fred.

According to Belgian agent Paul Stefani, speaking to HLN, it was actually N'Golo Kante with Stefani saying:

"I know from a very good source that Mourinho said he wanted [Axel] Witsel, but not in the first place.

"N'Golo Kante topped his list.

"Eventually Axel said: 'Do me a favour and finish it as quickly as possible because I really want to go to Dortmund'."

Chelsea would surely never sell Kante to United. Image: PA Images

So Jose wanted Kante first and then Axel Witsel, who had been playing in China, but the club couldn't get the Belgian because he wanted the move to Borussia Dortmund instead.

It seems unlikely that the Red Devils would ever have signed Kante. Chelsea wouldn't exactly be forward in letting their best player go, especially not to a rival, so United spending anytime on that deal would have been wasted.

United apparently targeted Witsel too. Image: PA Images

Kante has been a revelation since moving to England and at this point he may well be Chelsea's most important player, alongside Eden Hazard.

Witsel has been linked with a move to United in the past but it does seem rather unlikely that they'd have tried to sign him after getting Fred and extending Marouane Fellaini's deal too.

Topics: Football News, Jose Mourinho, Chelsea, Manchester United, Premier League, Transfer news, N'Golo Kante

Ryan Sidle

Ryan is a writer for SPORTbible. He covers all sport from football, formula one, cricket, rugby, tennis, athletics, mma and wrestling. He obviously hates YOUR football team and has no interest in synchronised swimming.

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