Manchester United are likely to be busy in the January transfer window which opens in less than a week.
United and Erik ten Hag will mainly be looking for a striker as the team is in desperate need of attacking reinforcements.
United are normally not active during the winter window, but the situation changed with the acrimonious departure of Cristiano Ronaldo from Old Trafford.
United has been linked by various names. Cody Gakpo is at the top of the list. A recent report indicated that the Red Devils have already opened talks with PSV Eindhoven regarding the transfer of Gakpo.
Other players who have been mentioned include Joao Félix, Rafael Leao and Goncalo Ramos from Benfica.
Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic reports on United’s January transfer plan, “Ten Hag likes him [Cody Gakpo] It has remained [from the summer]. The personnel of the exploration department are aligned with that thought.
“Ten Hag is with the same agency as Gakpo. The Athletic have been told that Murtough met Kees Vos, CEO of agency SEG, in Carrington in the past fortnight. Voss is a regular at Old Trafford and the pair see each other regularly.
“Any money that is spent will come out of the summer budget and Ten Hag must decide, along with Murtough and Joel Glazer, if that is the right decision.”
United could also be in the market for cheap, short-term fixes. In this sense, Whitwell mentions Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, from Bayern Munich, whose contract in Bavaria expires in June.
Another stopgap that could be available according to The Athletic is Barcelona’s Memphis Depay. The Dutchman was offered to United in the summer, but the club did not accept the Blaugrana offer.
Reports from Spain recently indicated that Newcastle will compete with United for Depay’s signature in January.
Ten Hag admires Goncalo Ramos, but the deal could be hampered by the fact that Benfica would demand a huge fee to get rid of their prolific striker before the end of the season.
