Manchester United will reportedly attempt to sign a centre-forward during the January transfer window to help the development of Rasmus Hojlund in the Premier League.

The 20-year-old is yet to find the back of the net since his arrival from Atalanta BC over the summer.

He has drawn a blank in each of his seven games in the competition.

Hojlund has scored three times in the Champions League, though, with the Denmark international showing plenty of encouraging signs during the early stages of his time at the club.

Anthony Martial’s struggles mean that Hojlund has become the starting centre-forward this season, and there have been suggestions that the youngster is not ready for that responsibility at this stage of his career.

Martial has only scored once this season and is out of contract next summer.

He is expected to depart in 2024 even if a 12-month extension in his deal is activated.

According to the Daily Mail, Manchester United will prioritise a new forward in the winter window, with Brentford’s Ivan Toney, Porto’s Mehdi Taremi and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen seen as options.

Taremi would arguably be the most straightforward of the three to sign, as the Iran international only has a contract with Porto until the end of the campaign.

Manchester United were linked with the 31-year-old over the summer, and Real Madrid are also believed to be interested in a player who has 83 goals in 160 appearances for Porto.

Toney, meanwhile, is widely expected to leave Brentford next year, with the 27-year-old said to be ready to make the step up once he has returned from an eight-month suspension.

The Englishman scored 20 Premier League goals last season, and he will be available for selection once again in the middle of January, when his ban for breaching Football Association betting rules comes to an end.

However, a recent report claimed that Brentford will not allow Toney to leave for less than £100m in January, which would be an impossible deal for Man United at that price.

Osimhen’s future is also being called into question, with his contract talks at Napoli believed to have stalled.

The Nigeria international scored 31 times for his Italian club last season, including 26 in Serie A, playing a leading role in Napoli winning the championship.

The 24-year-old is also believed to be valued by his team in the region of £100m, though, and it would prove very difficult to convince the Serie A champions to sell during the January transfer window.

[EagleOnline]