Man Utd in 'pole position' to sign forward as Fabrizio Romano issues defender update

Manchester United now have a weekend off after drawing with Tottenham last weekend, with the second round of Premier League winter breaks now in session. The Red Devils are now in seventh place, but a Brighton win on Monday would see them drop to eighth.

Erik ten Hag needs to turn things around and quicky at Old Trafford amid a hugely disappointing start to the season. In the meantime, we have rounded up all the news surrounding Old Trafford.

Zirkzee advantage

United are said to be in 'pole position' to sign Bologna youngster Joshua Zirkzee. Zirkzee has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford over the last week or so, but Bologna are not likely to sell this winter.

Still, Sport Italia believe United are leading to chase to land the 22-year-old, likely this summer. Crucially, Bayern Munich have a buy-back clause in Zirkzee's deal, but they are said to be unlikely to activate the clause due to having Harry Kane, reducing their need for another forward.

Defender latest

United have been linked with a move for Bayern Munich defender Matthijs de Ligt, with Bayern reportedly looking to strengthen further at centre-back this summer. Bayern signed Kim min-Jae in the summer, but they are being tipped to make a move for Jean-Clair Todibo, who has also been linked with United.

De Ligt is now being linked with a move to Old Trafford, but transfer insider Fabrizio Romano believes there is nothing to see at this stage. He said on the Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside: "It’s still too early to predict summer transfers… for sure there will be a chance for Matthijs de Ligt to leave in the summer because the situation remains quite open, but it’s too early to mention concrete clubs."