Manchester United are on the cusp of appointing Ruben Amorim as manager, paying a large settlement to Sporting in order to secure their man.
The Red Devils sacked Erik ten Hag on Monday, following defeat at West Ham United, with Manchester United 14th in the table, level on points with the Irons. Ruud van Nistelrooy has taken temporary charge of the club.
But with the rumour mill churning over the next Manchester United manager, Amorim – ranked at no.11 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now – now appears to be agonisingly close to the Old Trafford hot seat.
Manchester United will pay between €10m and €20m for Ruben Amorim
Renowned football journalist David Ornstein reported for the Athletic on Monday evening that Manchester United were working on a deal for Amorim to become manager, with the club ready to pay the €10 million release clause.
RTP in Portugal, a reliable source for Portuguese football, value the release clause as double, with the Manchester Evening News reporting that Amorim himself has agreed the move.
Various Portuguese sources have claimed that though Amorim is committed to the Sporting project, an offer from a club as big as United could make him reconsider. Talks are said to be ongoing.
Van Nistelrooy is still expected to take interim control until Amorim is confirmed, meanwhile, with Ten Hag's entire backroom team still in place at Old Trafford. It could be until the November international break that the Portuguese is installed.
Amorim was heavily linked with the vacant Liverpool job following Jurgen Klopp's decision to step down before links with Chelsea emerged over the summer. The 39-year-old then had talks over replacing David Moyes at West Ham before apologising publicly for doing so.
Amorim rose to prominence at Braga in Portugal after a season-long stint with Casa Pia, before delivering unprecedented modern success in the Primeira Liga with Sporting. The former midfielder has won two Taca de Ligas and two titles – the first domestic championships since 2001/02.
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In FourFourTwo's opinion, Amorim is one of the most sought-after young coaches in Europe and a shrewd option to succeed Ten Hag. Question marks still remain on whether the Portuguese is the biggest reason for Sporting's success more than their excellent recruitment of late but owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's willingness to pay big for Amorim is a positive sign that the INEOS billionaire is looking to compete now rather than wait.
United take on Chelsea this weekend when Premier League action returns.
