Sources: Man United work on £10m-plus January signing after green light
Man United are working on a temporary forward signing and are willing to pay a £5million January loan fee to get the deal over the line, sources have told Football Insider.
The Premier League giants are operating with a restricted budget in the upcoming window after spending £200million-plus in the summer on new signings.
Erik ten Hag has admitted his priority is landing a new forward capable of spearheading the attack following the recent exit of Cristiano Ronaldo.
That has significantly reduced United’s wage bill and means funds are available for a new forward who can add a new dimension to the attack.
United chiefs are willing to spend big on wages as well as a loan fee that could exceed £5m, as they have with loan signings in previous windows.
The total cost of a deal could be £10m-plus even if there is no transfer fee involved.
Targets are being drawn up by the club’s recruitment team following Liverpool’s swoop for Cody Gakpo, which was announced on Monday night (26 December).
Football Insider revealed the following morning (27 December) that the Merseysiders will pay a total of £82million in transfer fee and wages for Gakpo.
The need for an out-and-out striker at Old Trafford has been masked by the good form of Marcus Rashford.
Rashford has scored in consecutive games against Burnley and Nottingham Forest to ensure back-to-back wins after the World Cup break.
Anthony Martial also returned to the starting lineup against Forest on Tuesday (27 December) to score his third goal in six Premier League outings this term.
Man United sit just one point outside the top four but have a far weaker goal difference than rivals Liverpool and Tottenham.
They face struggling Wolves on Saturday (31 December).
In other news, insider backs Erik ten Hag to exterminate Man United “weak link” after training ground reveal.