Manchester United have their eyes on a proven European goalscorer who could be available for nothing at the end of the campaign, according to recent reports.
What's the latest news involving Manchester United?
The Red Devils will hope to follow up their important 1-0 triumph over Burnley in the Premier League with a victory over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, where they will begin their defence of the trophy. Mason Mount and his teammate for club and country Harry Maguire have both returned to training with the main group and could be available for selection against Roy Hodgson's men.
Tyrell Malacia, Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka will not be available alongside youngsters Amad Diallo and Kobbie Mainoo due to various injury concerns; meanwhile, Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayindir may be given an opportunity to make his debut for the Premier League giants if Erik Ten Hag decides to rest Andre Onana.
Veteran defender Jonny Evans was a standout for Manchester United in their triumph over Burnley at the weekend and has jumped to the defence of Erik Ten Hag despite recent criticism surrounding the Dutch coach.
Cited by The Mirror, the Northern Ireland international stated: "The manager’s got a good thing going here. I’m a fan of the club, so I was able to watch them a lot last year, been at both finals to support. Like I say, I think the manager’s got a good thing going."
Reports in Spain claim that Manchester United could look to secure a permanent deal for on-loan Tottenham Hotspur defender Sergio Reguilon if he carries on his positive run of performances at Old Trafford.
Who could Manchester United sign?
According to A Bola, via Sport Witness, Manchester United had a scout at Porto's 2-1 victory over Gil Vicente last weekend, in a game which was settled by strikes from Ivan Jaime and Eustaquio.
The report speculates that Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa and left-back Wendell were standouts for the Portuguese giants; however, the most likely player that would've had scouts in attendance is Iranian striker Mehdi Taremi, who is out of contract next summer and would be available on a free transfer.
Taremi, who has been labelled "ridiculous" by popular Manchester United pundit Rio Ferdinand in the past, has been one of Europe's most clinical forwards when in a Porto jersey, registering 82 goals and 50 assists in 155 appearances across all competitions during his time at the club, as per Transfermarkt.
As per FBRef, Taremi has excelled in comparison to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions in the art of touches inside the attacking penalty area, averaging around 6.92 per 90 minutes in the last 365 days, putting him in the 98th percentile for this metric, proving to be a constant menace.
With young star Rasmus Hojlund in the infancy of his career at Old Trafford, it may make sense to bring in a more experienced head alongside the Denmark international as an alternative to Anthony Martial, who is regularly dogged by injury struggles.
