Monaco expect Manchester United to make £16m bid for Brazilian defender Fabinho

Monaco reportedly expect Manchester United to bid for their Brazil international Fabinho. The 22-year-old has attracted interest from new United boss Jose Mourinho, who is thought to be in the market for another defender.

Mourinho signed Ivorian centre-back Eric Bailly earlier this summer, but is still keen to recruit a defender. Italy international Matteo Darmian is interesting clubs in Serie A, meaning an opportunity may soon open up for United to strengthen the right side of their defence, according to The Sunday Times.

Darmian fell out of favour at United last season after joining the club in 2015 from Torino. Meanwhile, neither Antonio Valencia nor Timothy Fosu-Mensah – both of whom filled the position under Louis van Gaal – are natural full-backs.

Monaco are reportedly bracing themselves for a £16m ($21.1m) bid from United for Fabinho, who played for Real Madrid before joining the French club on a permanent basis in 2015. However, United could face competition for the player's signature from Barcelona, who lost Dani Alves this summer.

Elsewhere, Mourinho wants United to accelerate the process of selling the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Marco Rojo, Juan Mata and Daley Blind, all of whom have been made available by the United boss. Mourinho's ultimate ambition is to trim the size of his first-team squad to 20 outfield players, in addition to three goalkeepers.