January frontrunner 'emerges' for £37m Man United star who's been linked with West Ham
West Ham have been linked with signing one of Man United’s players in the January transfer window.
Man United are heading into Monday night’s game against Wolves with a chance to climb into the top five of the Premier League table. They’ll be feeling confident too after going unbeaten in their last two games under Ruben Amorim.
The Red Devils will have problems coming up soon, though, as Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo will be leaving for AFCON. It means that Amorim will have to rely on different players to provide attacking returns.
Heading into January, this could also be an issue, as there are a few United players in contention to be sold. If they are sold, Amorim’s depth could be considerably depleted, making his squad selection even more difficult. One of these players has been linked with a move to West Ham in January, but they aren’t the front-runners to sign him.
Front-runner emerges for Joshua Zirkzee
Joshua Zirkzee hasn’t got the game time he would have wanted this season, and his performances won’t have matched United’s expectations. The Dutch striker is a contender to leave in January, with several teams, including Premier League rivals West Ham, linked to signing him.
However, according to Football Insider, the Hammers aren’t the front-runners to sign Zirkzee, as that crown goes to Serie A side Roma, who are hoping to bring Zirkzee back to Italy to recover some of the form he displayed during his time at Bologna, before United signed him for £37m.
The issue for Roma is whether United will actually let Zirkzee leave, as they have a distinct lack of strikers at the moment. Benjamin Sesko is currently dealing with a knee injury, which has handed Zirkzee more of a chance in the past few games.
Furthermore, when United lose Mbeumo, they will likely have no choice but to play Matheus Cunha as a number 10, so the striker spot could be more available for Zirkzee, and then Sesko when he returns.
Who could Man United sell in January?
It is unlikely that the Red Devils are going to make any major sales in the January window, mainly because they have a decent shot at qualifying for Europe this season, and Amorim will want as many squad options as possible.
However, in terms of names expected to leave, Tyrell Malacia jumps out as a contender, as Amorim was keen for the Dutch defender to leave the club in the summer. Malacia was the only member of Amorim’s ‘bomb squad’ who didn’t leave the club, and he has since returned to the Man United squad.
Despite that, Malacia still hasn’t played for United this season, and so will be keen himself to leave to get more regular football, and potentially resurrect his career. His contract expires at the end of the season, so a short-term loan is most likely for the 26-year-old.