Man Utd eye signing Bayern Munich star Leon Goretzka

The Premier League giants spent around £60m to sign defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui from Bayern this summer.

And now Man Utd are considering signing the Germany international, whose contract runs until 2026 at the Bavarian side, in the January transfer window.

Goretzka has struggled for game time this season under new manager Vincent Kompany and speculation has mounted that the 29-year-old could leave the Bundesliga outfit.

However, Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg claims the 6ft 2in midfielder has no plans to leave Bayern in January, despite United's interest in him.

He adds that the Red Devils are also looking for an 'affordable' striker as current forwards Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee are struggling for goals this season.

TEAMtalk sources can reveal that Bayern are open to selling Goretzka at some point and a cheaper deal may be struck for him as he enters the final year or so of his contract in 2025.

With manager Ruben Amorim set to swap Sporting Lisbon for United later this month, Goretzka could be an excellent first signing for the 39-year-old.

Bayern's director of sport, Max Eberl, said in September that Goretzka was "upset" at being left out of Kompany's squad for the 6-1 win over Holstein Kiel.

The situation may not have changed a great deal since then as the former FC Schalke star has not started any of his eight appearances for the German giants this season, with Joao Palhinha, Aleksandar Pavlovic, and Joshua Kimmich all ahead of him in the pecking order.

He told Sky Germany: "We communicated very clearly from the start. Leon knew that we were relying on Pavlo [Aleksandar Pavlovic], and that we would bring in [Joao] Palhinha and that Joshua [Kimmich] would play more in the centre again.

"It's just that the competition is fierce. We've also said that when Leon is there and ready to face the situation, he'll be treated completely normally. Leon's a great guy. I like him a lot, even though he's obviously upset at the moment. I understand that too. But that's part of life in football."

While Goretzka is getting minutes off the bench, a player of his calibre may not be able to tolerate having such a big-part role for much longer.

United are reportedly in with a shot of signing prolific Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres, ahead of his manager's impending move to Old Trafford.

Reports suggest they and Chelsea are the frontrunners for the 26-year-old's signature, with the Swedish international potentially being made available for  just £63m next summer.

The two Premier League rivals are also jostling for position in the race to sign FC Porto forward Samu Omorodion.

The Blues tried and failed to sign the 6ft 4in attacker this summer, but Atletico Madrid gave him the green light to join the Portuguese giants instead. Despite that, United and Chelsea are said to be keeping tabs on him, too.

Finally, Amorim will will reportedly be given the final say on whether centre-back Harry Maguire remains at United or not.

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