Man Utd 'explore' intriguing January loan approaches for Bayern Munich pair

Manchester United won't be investing heavily this month but have reportedly explored loan proposals for Bayern Munich pair Matthijs de Ligt and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

United have just one week to finalise their playing squad for the second-half of the season and despite club chiefs predicting a quiet month, they have been on their toes for potential low-cost opportunities. Erik ten Hag might be particularly keen to strengthen upfront, given he will be without Anthony Martial for around 10 weeks after the striker underwent surgery on a groin issue.

Interest in Choupo-Moting has been reported throughout January and The Athletic suggests a loan approach for the Cameroon international has been 'mentioned'. They also report that there is similar interest in Dutch centre-back De Ligt.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe will take control of footballing operations at United, once his 25 per cent stake in the club is fully ratified by the Premier League. And despite a woeful first-half of the campaign leaving the Reds in eighth, there is still hope of Champions League qualification come May. Financial constraints will restrict the club over the next week but there may be a late opportunity for loan arrivals.

Neither Choupo-Moting nor De Ligt have enjoyed regular football at Bayern this season, with both losing their respective places to summer signings. The Bundesliga outfit spent around £150million on Harry Kane and Kim Min-jae, who are among the most regular starters under Thomas Tuchel.

But with a thin squad and a huge second-half of the campaign, Tuchel might be inclined to keep those on the fringes. Bayern are currently seven points behind Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen and set for one of the toughest title challenges in recent years, alongside last year's race with Borussia Dortmund. They are also in the Champions League knockout stages.

Tuchel was asked about De Ligt, who played under Ten Hag at Ajax, earlier this month but insisted the central defender is in his plans. Both De Ligt and Choupo-Moting are expected to stay in Germany.

“Matthijs came back injured from the national team and missed all pre-season," Tuchel said last week. “We played him a bit too early in the Supercup, then he got seriously injured again and Min-jae and Upa [Dayot Upamecano] were starting games. But of course we’re planning with Matthijs, he is our player, a top player and a top character.”