What reportedly needs to happen for Mourinho to join Manchester United

Jose Mourinho has been linked with the Manchester United Boss job nearly since he was sacked from Chelsea. Now, The Guardian is reporting that Mourinho is closer to taking over at Old Trafford, with one caveat.

The Guardian reports that Manchester United will only consider Mourinho if Louis van Gaal fails to take Manchester United to a top four finish in the EPL, thus securing a Champions League spot.

If LvG ends up overcoming either Arsenal or Manchester City, it appears Manchester United will at least finish out the three year contract wit the Dutchman (currently in year 2).

Even if LvG fails to qualify for the Champions League, it is not guaranteed that Mourinho would take over. Manchester United are also considering Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone, though it would be quite difficult to dislodge him from Madrid, given his great string of successful results there.

Furthermore, if LvG fails to earn a CL spot, but wins the FA Cup, it is unclear whether Manchester United would retain the coach for anther year. For now, it appears Jose Mourinho is the front-runner to replace LvG, but van Gaal still has a chance for another year as Boss.