Jose Mourinho has signed a pre-contract agreement to become the next manager of Manchester United, according to a report in Spain.

The Portuguese coach has been heavily linked with Louis van Gaal's job at Old Trafford ever since he was sacked by Chelsea last December.

Now, El Pais claims that a deal is in place for Mourinho to replace the under-fire Dutchman.

The report adds that under the terms of the agreement, the 53-year-old will be due £5m in compensation if the final contract is not offered to him by May 1 and a further £10m if he is not in place on June 1.

It has been suggested that those financial clauses have been inserted because senior United figures, particularly Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Bobby Charlton, are not convinced that Mourinho is the right man to take the club forward.

Widespread speculation has claimed that Ferguson would prefer to see his former player and Van Gaal's current assistant Ryan Giggs given the role.