Report: Man United Eyes January Moves for Mandzukic, Dembele

Man United recognizes its need in the attack.

Manchester United are reported to be set to try recruit several new attackers in the January transfer window - with Juventus' Mario Mandzukic and Barcelona's Ousmane Dembele reportedly at the top of their wish list.

The Red Devils lost both Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku during the summer, with only Daniel James coming in in their place. They have dealt with numerous injuries to their attackers this season, and Marcus Rashford became the latest casualty after limping off in the 2-0 defeat to West Ham United. 

That injury left United without a recognized striker on the pitch for almost half an hour, and The Independent claim United have now accepted that they need to sign reinforcements in January to ensure this does not happen again.

Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer met with executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward after the game to discuss the future of the squad, and the pair agreed that they need to act and bring in some new attackers.

Mandzukic appears to be their target. United are eager to sign somebody as a backup to Rashford and Anthony Martial in attack, and they feel that the Juventus man would be happy to play that role.

United pushed for Mandzukic during the summer, and it appears likely that they will reignite their interest once more.

However, the report then goes on to suggest that United will make a move for Dembele as they are looking for some more quality in their squad, but there are a few question marks over that idea.

United want to remain committed to Martial, James and Rashford, so there does not appear to be a place for Dembele in the team, especially since Barcelona would only consider offers of over £100m.

The Red Devils would prefer a summer move for Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho anyway, so it seems likely that they will save their money until the end of the season.

What's certain is that United do need new attackers. Rashford and 17-year-old Mason Greenwood are their only two strikers, whilst they are not exactly blessed with much depth on the wings either.

They currently sit eighth in the Premier League, having picked up just eight points from their opening six games of the campaign. It has been a season to forget so far, but Solskjaer hopes that the January transfer window will help him turn things around.