Manchester United have made a €25m (£22.5m) offer to Atlético Madrid for the 32-year-old defender Diego Godín to trigger his release clause but the Uruguayan would prefer to stay at his current club.
José Mourinho is desperate to sign a centre-back before the window closes but has been put off by the fees for Bayern Munich's Jérôme Boateng and Leicester City's Harry Maguire.
The United manager said in his press conference on Thursday morning that it was unlikely that the club would make any signings before the season starts.
“I’m not confident,” Mourinho said, when asked whether there would be more players arriving before the deadline. “I’m not confident and the market closes today so it is time, at least for me, to stop thinking about the market because the market will be closed, so I will have to focus on the players I have.”
However United have now made a late attempt to secure the services of the experienced central defender, who has won 122 caps for Uruguay and has been with Atlético since signing from Villarreal in 2010.
The player is happy in Madrid and would be reluctant to move. United have offered him a contract of €9m a season. With United having triggered the release clause it is now up to the player to decide whether he wants a new challenge at United. –Guardian service
