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United want Dembele, one other in £90m January transfer raid

MANCHESTER United are plotting a double swoop for Moussa Dembele and Sean Longstaff worth an estimated £90m.

United want to sign the duo in the January transfer window to help arrest the alarming slide and boost Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s chances of securing a top four finish.

United executive vice chairman Ed Woodward has told Solskjaer he will have significant funds to spend and has targeted the Lyon and Newcastle stars.

United have sent scouts to watch Lyon striker Dembele in action several times this season and believe he can be lured to Old Trafford in a £50m deal.

Dembele, 23, joined Lyon from Celtic for £20m in 2018 and had an impressive first season in Ligue 1, scoring 15 times.

He has followed this up with a strong start to the new campaign, netting six goals in his first eight games to become the leading scorer in France’s top tier.

United are keen to sign a new striker as soon as possible, having allowed Romelu Lukaku to join Inter Milan this summer without replacing him.

United have been linked with Mario Mandzukic, Robert Lewandowski and Callum Wilson.

But it is understood Old Trafford bosses have identified Dembele as their No.1 target and will look to tempt Lyon with a sizeable bid in January.

United also want to add some steel to their midfield and are preparing to launch a fresh bid to land rising Magpies star Longstaff.

United enquired about Longstaff in the summer but were put off by the Magpies’ asking price of around £55m.

But Woodward believes the current crisis on Tyneside could persuade the troubled club to cash in on Longstaff in January and agree to sell him for around £40m.

Solskjaer’s side have slumped to 10th in the table following their worst start to a league season for 30 years and need reinforcements to address the growing crisis. – DailyStar

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