20-year-old Mexican phenom Hirving Lozano is reportedly on the verge of joining Manchester United.
Lozano enjoyed a breakout season with Pachuca. Photo: @101greatgoals | Twitter
United's chief scout Jim Lawlor was the man who unearthed Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez and brought him to the Premier League, and Pachuca president Jesus Martinez confirmed that Lawlor has been scouting Lozano in recent months.
Now, Pachuca's vice-president Andre Fassi has told ESPN that negotiations are underway, however he has also stressed that nothing has been completed yet. Lozano's father-in-law also weighed in on the subject, stating that the deal would be completed after the Olympics.
Lozano scored 10 goals and rang up nine assists across 34 appearances in Liga MX last season, and helped Pachuca to the Clausura title. He also made his international debut for Mexico against Senegal in February.
Lozano is a tricky, creative left winger who likes to cut inside onto his right foot, although he can play anywhere along the front line. The most obvious dilemma that this brings up is what will happen to Memphis Depay? It seems incredibly likely that Mourinho will move the Dutchman along and that he has Lozano pegged as his replacement.
Indeed, Mourinho has outlined four definite transfers for the club in the offseason. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly have already been confirmed as new arrivals, while rumors also swirl around possible swoops for Paul Pogba and Blaise Matuidi.
It's likely, given Lozano's age and lack of experience, that he is not one of the four necessary transfers that Mourinho was referring to. However, he is certainly one for the future, and United will be hoping that he can follow in Chicharito's footsteps.
That being said, we've all seen deals fall apart at the last minute, so this is still far from a sure thing. There are still issues with work permits, medical clearances, personal terms, agreements on fees; the list goes on and on. However, all parties seem very much excited and ready to proceed with this deal, so we could see another Mexican star in the Premier League very soon.
Follow me on Twitter @J_Hansen_89
