Jose Mourinho 'to make Marco Asensio marquee signing'

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly hoping to sign Marco Asensio from Real Madrid in a £177m deal ahead of next season.

The Red Devils boss is said to have been told by club chiefs that he will be financially backed once again next summer, having also spent big to bring in Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof in the most recent transfer window.

Asensio has been linked with a move to United in the past, but his hefty asking price is understood to have put the Premier League giants off making a formal approach for the time being.

Spanish outlet Don Balon suggests that Mourinho has already reached out to the 21-year-old, however, with United willing to go big next summer to make him their marquee signing of 2018.

The report also claims that Asensio, who has four goals and two assists from eight La Liga starts this term, will be persuaded to leave the Bernabeu with a five-year contract worth £24m a season in wages.