Manchester United have reportedly identified Kalidou Koulibaly and Declan Rice as key targets to strengthen the current squad.
According to Goal, the Reds are targeting the pair as well as monitoring the futures of Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic and Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen as they desperately look to bolster their options after an awful start to the season.
The report claims the club are targeting another midfielder and another centre-back, regardless of the uncertainty around manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future.
United need to strengthen in midfield, perhaps the weakest area in Solskjaer’s squad. Fred has been a liability in the middle of the park for the Reds in recent games and Nemanja Matic is not playing at anywhere near the level he has in the past.
West Ham’s star man Declan Rice seems to be the player United have prioritised in the midfield role, though it is said that he would not be allowed to leave unless an offer of around £90m was made for the 20-year-old.
Rice has already established himself as West Ham’s best midfielder and is already a regular in Gareth Southgate’s England squad, so there is huge potential there but the fee quoted still seems ridiculously high.
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Koulibaly, one of Europe”s elite defenders, would command a similar fee to that of Rice. The Senegalese international is valued at £90m by Serie A giants Napoli and was heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford before the Reds eventually signed Harry Maguire.
However, according to Goal’s report Koulibaly is still of interest to United and is seen as an upgrade on Victor Lindelof at centre-back to play alongside the England international.
While Koulibaly is a fantastic centre-back, the position is not the key area of concern for United at the moment, with Axel Tuanzebe looking promising in the games he has started in recent weeks.
United should instead be targeting creative players and strikers to fill the void left by Alexis Sanchez ad Romelu Lukaku who were not replaced this summer.
Solskjaer’s side have failed to score more than one goal in a match since the first day of the season so a lack of goal scorers is clearly the main problem and forwards must be prioritised in the coming transfer windows.
