Juventus midfielder Blaise Matuidi has emerged as a transfer target for Manchester United, who are eager to bolster their squad when the market reopens.
Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is expected to bring in a few reinforcements in January, after watching his side slip to seventh in the Premier League table at the start of the new season.
According to the Express, Mario Mandzukic is top of their list of targets, but United are also eyeing one other Juve star in the form of France international Matuidi.
Tuttomercatoweb reports that United are prepared to make an offer for the 32-year-old, but the Bianconeri are reluctant to sell a prized asset who continues to play a key role at the Allianz Stadium.
The Italian publication states that Juve would prefer to offload former Liverpool ace Emre Can, with negotiations over a contract extension for Matuidi supposedly ongoing.
Mandzukic and Can have both found themselves on the fringes of the action for Maurizio Sarri’s side this term, with the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Miralem Pjanic and Sami Khedira all ahead of the pair in the squad pecking order.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Juve are open to selling Mandzukic and Can to United in exchange for Paul Pogba, who has been heavily linked with a return to Turin in recent months.
It seems unlikely that Solskjaer will sanction Pogba’s departure in January, which might mean Mandzukic ends up being the only Juve player to arrive at Old Trafford.
Matuidi would also be an excellent addition to United’s ranks, but Juve clearly still consider the holding midfielder to be a valuable member of the first team and thusly, he will probably end up remaining in Italy.
Bringing Can to Old Trafford would be a decent alternative for Solskjaer, but it remains to be seen whether or not United would consider a deal, especially given his past links to arch-rivals Liverpool.
