Manchester United are reportedly ready to go head-to-head with Arsenal over a deal to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Randal Kolo Muani, as per transfer journalist Graeme Bailey.
The Red Devils have had a mixed start under new manager, Ruben Amorim. In seven matches in all competitions, United have won four and lost two. Now, the 2-1 victory over city rivals Manchester City will give them a huge boost.
Amorim’s side displayed a composed performance away from home and eventually won the game courtesy of Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo’s late goal after falling behind due to Josko Gvardiol’s first-half header.
However, the Portuguese boss has an uphill battle to make United – who are currently languishing 13th in the Premier League table – a title challenger once again and he seemingly wants to bolster the squad in the upcoming January window.
Reporting on TBR Football, Bailey has stated that Man Utd want to sign a new striker in the winter and have earmarked Kolo Muani as a serious option.
Battle
PSG are ready to let him leave in January on an initial loan deal with an option to make the move permanent as the Frenchman has been struggling to break into Luis Enrique’s starting eleven.
United are looking to take advantage of this situation and are prepared to step up talks to get the deal done next month. But, hiring Kolo Muani won’t be straightforward for Man Utd as Arsenal and Man City are also in this race.
Les Parisiens decided to sign the 26-year-old – valued at around £25m by Transfermarkt – after being impressed by his displays for Eintracht Frankfurt. But, he hasn’t been able to showcase his best at Parc des Princes and has now found himself out of favour completely this season, making only 2 Ligue 1 starts thus far.
Nevertheless, PSG splashed big money on him and he still has a contract until 2028. Therefore, they may look to recoup some of the fee that they paid for him so Arsenal or Man Utd might have to splash a sizable amount of money to sign him.
However, signing a player – who is completely out of form for a big fee might not be the best piece of business for United or Arsenal if either club eventually opt to secure his service.