Jose Mourinho to Manchester United: Portuguese manager promised £200m transfer kitty ahead of imminent arrival

Jose Mourinho looks to be on the verge of becoming Manchester United's next manager despite Louis van Gaal winning the club their first trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement at the end of the 2012/13 season. The Red Devils won the FA Cup finals on Saturday (21 May) against Crystal Palace to join Arsenal as 12-time winners of the famous old trophy.

According to the Mirror, the Portuguese boss is close to signing a three-year deal worth around £10m ($14.5m) per year and has already identified the players he wants to sign to take United back to winning ways in the Premier League. One of the main reasons for the Dutch manager's imminent sacking is said to be his failure to qualify for the Champions League – the second time in three seasons – after David Moyes and Ryan Giggs led them to the seventh place in the 2013/14 campaign.

It is being reported widely that that Van Gaal has managed his last game for the 20-time English champions with Mourinho's arrival set to be confirmed in the coming days. The former Chelsea manager has drawn up a list of targets and has been promised £200m ($290m) to overhaul the side which has under-performed in the last two years.

Real Madrid's James Rodriguez, Everton's John Stones, Marquinhos from Paris Saint-Germain and Dortmund's Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang are said to be high on his wanted list, with the manager's primary task being an immediate return to the Champions League and challenging for the Premier League title. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is available on a free transfer and United are said to be willing to meet his high wage demands if the 'Special One' can convince him to join the Old Trafford club.

Juan Mata and Bastian Schweinsteiger are said to be the biggest casualties following Mourinho's arrival, with a number of other players also facing an uncertain future. Van Gaal was adamant ahead of the FA Cup final when he said that he will be the manager next season, but was silent when probed with questions regarding his future after winning the cup at Wembley on Saturday.

According to Sky Sports, the manager said 'it's over' when asked about his future at the Old Trafford club, but United insisted later suggesting that the manager was referring to the club's season rather than his future in Manchester. But according to the BBC, a deal in principle has already been agreed with the former Porto, Inter Milan and Real Madrid manager, with an announcement expected imminently.