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Man Utd transfer news: Sky Sports man makes revelation over late transfer deal
SKY SPORTS man Kaveh Solhekol has broken some late Manchester United transfer news.
It was claimed United were planning a shock move for Atletico Madrid’s Diego Godin today - although the player has since agreed a new contract to stay in the Spanish capital.
Solhekol says Jose Mourinho was keen on the player but believes the club has been used by the Uruguayan’s agent.
He tweeted: “Diego Godin's agent approached Manchester United this week when the team was in Cagliari, saying the player was keen to come to Old Trafford and a deal could be done, so United made an offer for the agent to take to the Atletico board.
“Within hours, Godin had signed a new contract on improved terms at Atletico Madrid (€7.5m net).
“Whilst Jose Mourinho would have been keen to sign the defender, the manager believes that the desire on the agent's part was always to leverage the situation to get a new contract for Godin.”
Mourinho revealed this morning he is not expecting anybody to join United before the transfer deadline, with the window shutting at 5pm.
Having signed Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant, the Portuguese hoped to bring in two more players but would have been satisfied with just one.
Mourinho had warned it would be a "difficult season" if United did not make any more acquisitions and it now looks like his side will miss out.
Asked if nothing would happen in or out before the Premier League deadline at 5pm, he said: "The information I have is no (nothing will happen)."
United had been hoping to sign a centre-back before the deadline but hope has faded in recent days.
"I am not confident," Mourinho said. "I am not confident, and the market closes today, so it's time, at least for me, to stop thinking about the market because the market will be closed."
The lack of new signings will compound issues surrounding his squad for the start of the Premier League season.
Sergio Romero, Antonio Valencia, Marcos Rojo, Dalot, Ander Herrera and Nemanja Matic will all be unavailable for Friday's opener against Leicester.
Mourinho also needs to check on the fitness of those that returned late from the World Cup.
"They returned on Monday," he said. "They trained Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and today, so you can imagine they are not really fit and ready. But we have needs.
"The list that I gave you before of the injured players is an important list and today after training I will speak with that group of players (back from the World Cup) because everybody is different, physically and mentally, to see how available they feel they.
"Because it is very important their feeling and to understand how they think they can help or not help."