Manchester United are reportedly set to step up their pursuit of Borussia Monchengladbach and France attacker Marcus Thuram in January.
The Red Devils are in need of goal-scoring reinforcements after Cristiano Ronaldo left the club by mutual consent prior to the World Cup and the Frenchman could make an excellent replacement.
Erik ten Hag is keen on Thuram, but United will undoubtedly face competition for the exciting Bundesliga man.
Thuram replaced Olivier Giroud after 41 minutes in the World Cup final yesterday and went on to win a penalty and provide an assist, as Les Blues forced extra time and penalties in an exceptional game.
Now, he has emerged on United’s radar, according to a report by the German outlet Bild.
Marcus Rashford has been the Red Devil’s most reliable attacking option so far this season, contributing four goals and two assists from 14 appearances in the league so far.
But, if United are to maintain their push for the top four, they need more consistent goal scorers at their disposal.
Thuram, like Rashford, likes to operate from the left-wing position, but has been far more prolific than the Englishman in front of goal.
In 15 appearances in the Bundesliga this season, Thuram has scored an impressive 10 goals and has made three assists for Monchengladbach, attracting the interest of several big European teams.
While he is an essential player in the German side, Thuram has so far refused to sign a new contract at the club, with his current deal due to expire at the end of the season.
As a result, the 25-year-old is available for a cut-price fee of just £10m, which may be too tempting for Ten Hag to ignore.
A couple of years ago, Thuram said he was grateful for Monchengladbach helping him to break into the France national team and allowing him to play in the Champions League.
Speaking to Kicker, he said: “I’m very happy here and haven’t spoken to anyone else. Borussia allowed me to take the next steps in my career.
“I play in the Champions League and made it into the national team and in Gladbach, I grew not only as a player, but as a person. Borussia was the best choice for my career.”
However, Bild’s report claims that he is now ready to move to a bigger club like Manchester United, while Tottenham and Bayern Munich are also interested.
Thuram could add a new dimension to United’s front three. So far, Antony has struggled to find the net on a regular basis this season, while Anthony Elanga and Jadon Sancho are also in a generally poor run of form.
The Frenchman has the x-factor Ten Hag is looking for as he aims to maintain their push for Champions League qualification, so a move is looking increasingly likely.
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