According to L’Equipe, the Premier League giants are reportedly readying an offer for the France international this month, with Erik ten Hag and co said to be willing to fork out around €60m (£53m) for his signature. The report does suggest, however, that the 24-year-old is not considering a move away from Germany at present, with Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich also said to be in the frame.
This comes following an admission from the United boss that there is a “need” to sign a new striker before the window is out, with the Old Trafford outfit having allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to depart back in November. The top-four hopefuls have seemingly been left with a shortage of attacking options at present, with the exit of the aforementioned Ronaldo – as well as the absence of Jadon Sancho – having left Ten Hag’s attacking ranks somewhat depleted.
In truth, with Antony Martial having been hampered by injury this term and with summer signing Antony scoring just three goals, the goalscoring burden has largely rested on Marcus Rashford, with the Englishman leading the way with 11 goals in just 22 games so far this term. The 25-year-old has been particularly devastating since his return from World Cup duty, having scored against Burnley in the Carabao Cup, before adding three goals and assists in just two games against Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers, respectively.
The academy graduate – who has been described as almost “impossible to play against” by former United midfielder Owen Hargreaves – will likely need support over the coming months, however, hence the potential need to bring Kolo Muani into the fold. The former Nantes man – who made the move to Frankfurt over the summer – has enjoyed a stunning start to the current campaign, having scored eight goals and provided 11 assists in just 23 appearances across all fronts.
That tally includes a haul of five goals and ten assists in just 14 games in Germany’s top flight, with the “special talent” – as lauded by Eurosport’s Florian Bogneras – also netting two goals in six Champions League group stage appearances.
