Manchester United eyeing cut-price deal for ex-club graduate

Manchester United are reportedly considering a surprise approach to re-sign Jonny Evans from West Bromwich Albion during the summer. The Baggies are almost certain to drop into next season’s Championship and this could signal the departure of the Northern Irishman.
According to The Sun, United boss Jose Mourinho is not entirely impressed with his central defensive options  and Evans has been earmarked as a cut-price option to bolster the ranks further.
West Brom have previously placed a £25m price tag on Evans’ head which had warded off interest from the likes of Leicester City, Manchester City and Arsenal but they are now in a position where they can command just one-twelfth of their valuation.
As per The Sun, Evans has a relegation release clause of just £3m on his existing deal and this is certain to come to effect once the Baggies’ demotion is confirmed in the next few weeks.
Despite the speculation, it does not make much sense for Mourinho to recruit another central defender, unless he has plans to offload one of his existing players from his first-team squad.
Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof should have their positions secure having joined the Red Devils under the Portuguese’s tutelage, and this supposedly leaves Chris Smalling and Phil Jones in the danger zone considering Marcos Rojo signed a new deal earlier this year.
Both Jones and Smalling have been slated by the fans for their poor positioning in certain games but the pair are also capable of producing inspirational performances – with one of those coming against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup semi-final win.
As such, Mourinho may rather stick with his current options in central defence and the focus could perhaps be placed more on the full-back spots with both Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young turning 33 prior to the start of next season.