After an inconsistent debut season at Manchester United, it seems Jose Mourinho wants to sign players he knows he can rely on this summer.

He spent £150 million and broke the world transfer record to sign Paul Pogba 12 months ago and everyone was expecting United to be there or thereabouts in terms of the Premier League title.

However, the Red Devils could only finish sixth in the league, 24 points behind champions Chelsea.

But it can certainly be argued that Mourinho’s debut season was actually a success. An EFL Cup victory and - most importantly - a Europa League win saw them qualify for the Champions League with two trophies in the bag.

But Mourinho wants to strengthen his squad in order to fight on both the European and domestic scene next season. To do so, he wants players he knows and can trust.

Mourinho wants Matic (again)

First up is Nemanja Matic.

Mourinho looks set to sign the midfielder for a second time after he brought the Serbian back to Stamford Bridge in 2014 whilst Chelsea manager.

According to reports, Mourinho is close to securing a £40 million deal for Matic and the Portuguese boss fully aware of what the 28-year-old can do.

Mourinho wants to reunite with Morata

But Mourinho is targeting another one of his former players in the form of Alvaro Morata.

United have been in negotiations with Real Madrid over a deal for their forward throughout the summer and it’s believed they are close to a deal.

The problem with the Morata deal

However, there’s a problem.

Spanish outlet AS are reporting that Real are holding out for between €80 and €90 million.

United have already submitted a €70 million offer, plus add ons, but Madrid are being stubborn and want an improved offer.

Will this demand see the deal collapse?

Three reasons why Morata is worth €80m-€90m

Well, the European champions have outlined three reasons why they believe Morata is worth that much in case United protest.

They claim that given his experience for the Spanish national side - where he’s made 20 appearances - Morata is now a consistent international star.

Then there’s his age.

At 24, he still has his prime years ahead of him and is capable of playing at the top level for the next 10 or so years.

And thirdly, Real claim there is a real scarcity of top-quality forwards on the market this summer.

Whether United will take these points on boards and stump up the €80m-€90m needed to sign Morata remains to be seen but if they want Morata, that's what they're going to have to do.