Manchester United's desperation to sign a striker in the January comes as no surprise given brutally honest comments. The Red Devils have struggled to find the back of the net this season with only 23 goals scored in 20 Premier League games.

Perhaps an even more damning statistic is that Ruben Amorim's side have failed to score in eight of their top-flight matches this term, indicating a up top. It's no surprise, therefore, that Old Trafford bosses are reportedly to sign forward this month.

reports that United's pursuit of the Frenchman is gaining momentum, with talks already held with his agents and negotiations with the Ligue 1 champions expected to begin shortly.

The Red Devils have also been linked with Victor Osimhen, currently on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli, with claiming United are keen to secure the £62million-rated Nigerian in a player-plus-cash deal which would see Marcus Rashford move in the opposite direction. Such links with strikers this January suggests that the United hierarchy has taken on board defender Martinez's plea for more firepower up front.

Speaking prior to United's disappointing Premier League on Boxing Day, Argentine central defender pinpointed their lack of sharp finishing as one of the main reasons behind the team's struggles this season. He told : "It's just that the results aren't going our way, but honestly, I'm calm and composed. We know what we want; we have a coach who also knows very well what he wants.

"Unfortunately, we're not scoring goals. I think we're creating many chances, and it becomes difficult when we concede many goals. The first goal in a match is obviously crucial. However, we need to be patient because we also have many positive things to take into account. We need to keep improving, looking at our mistakes, being self-critical, and moving forward."

Before the Wolves game, Amorim's men had lost 3-0 at home to Bournemouth. They went on to lose 2-0 to Wolves and 2-0 to Newcastle after Martinez's comments, before they finally broke their scoring drought with a 2-2 draw against Liverpool earlier this month.

At the heart of United's attacking woes are Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, whose transfers cost £64million and £36.5m respectively over the last two years, but have only managed five league goals between them this term. Neither striker got on the scoresheet during Sunday's dramatic FA Cup third-round clash with Arsenal, which saw United emerge victorious after a penalty shootout.

United reportedly believe Kolo Muani is the right January signing to turn their season around and are desperate to bring him in. The Red Devils, currently down in 13th place, are understood to be considering a loan move but would prefer the deal to include a clause which would allow them to eventually buy the 26-year-old.

Despite his £76m transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt to PSG in September 2023, Muani has only managed to score 11 goals in 54 appearances for the Parisians. His game time under head coach Luis Enrique has been limited this season, with just two starts and two goals in Ligue 1.

However, his international record is more impressive, boasting eight goals in 27 appearances for France. He played a key role after coming off the bench in the 2022 World Cup final, before France lost to Argentina in a penalty shootout.