Man United offered dream solution to land lethal Serie A striker as Crystal Palace plot £20m raid

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is expected to make a number of huge decisions in the January transfer window as he aims to rejuvenate his group after a dismal start to the season.

The 13-time champions are amongst the lowest scorers in the Premier League this term and are in desperate need of an added spark if they are to climb the table.

An under-performing Marcus Rashford, despite currently being the team’s top scorer this season, which is more a damning indictment on Manchester United’s form than a praise to his performances, has been heavily linked with a dramatic move away from Old Trafford after being frozen out of the first team by Amorim in recent weeks.

The 60-time England international is the subject of links to various clubs such as AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund should he choose to follow a similar route to Jadon Sancho last season.

However, while the rumour mill has been dominated around Rashford and Amorim’s potential decision over the winger’s future, another player that could also be going out of the door just six months after joining is £36.5m summer signing Joshua Zirkzee. The 23-year-old, who thrived for Bologna last season, with 12 goals in 37 games, has found the net just four times in 18 appearances since arriving at Old Trafford and has rarely started since Amorim’s arrival.

The Netherlands international, who was highly rated by former boss Thiago Motta at Bologna, has struggled for confidence in the Premier League and currently doesn’t seem like he fits into Amorim’s plans. This has led to reports from TeamTalk, which sensationally claim that Juventus, who are managed by Motta, could offer Dusan Vlahovic to Manchester United in an incredible swap deal which would see Zirkzee move in the opposite direction.

Vlahovic, who has scored a total of 84 goals in Serie A since moving to Italy in 2018, was heavily linked with a high profile move to Arsenal in January 2022, but instead opted to join Juventus in a £66m deal.

"I am the Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Belgrade, I will play for the biggest clubs." Vlahovic said at the time before arriving at Juventus.

Overall, he has scored 54 times in 124 appearances since signing for the Old Lady. However, with just 18 months remaining on his contract, he has shown no desire to sign an extension with the Turin club at this time.

3AM verdict: Joshua Zirkzee has struggled to hit the heights expected of him in his early months and while the youngster might come good with time, so far he has harshly been one of the league’s biggest flops. However, in Thiago Motta at Juventus, he would have a manager that would know how to get the best out of him and utilise his strengths in the same way he had at Bologna last term.

Meanwhile, Dusan Vlahovic is a proven goalscorer, still only 24-years-old, has similar qualities to those of Viktor Gyokeres at Sporting Lisbon, and would undoubtedly offer the Red Devils better composure in front of goal. On paper it could be a good move.

Crystal Palace plot £20m move for Sunderland favourite

Premier League strugglers Crystal Palace are believed to be plotting a £20m move for in-form Sunderland star Jobe Bellingham this January, according to reports from TalkSport.

Jobe, who is the younger brother of Real Madrid talisman Jude, has made 23 appearances for Sunderland and has contributed four goals and three assists to spearhead the Black Cats into promotion contention.

At just 19-years-of-age he is following a very similar trajectory to that of his brother and has already won two caps for England at Under-21 level.

Sunderland are determined to keep hold of the youngster that they acquired from Birmingham City 18 months ago, but are likely to face a tough challenge with Arsenal also showing interest.

3AM Verdict: Jobe Bellingham has been hugely impressive in Red and White this season and has more than enough ability to perform at the top level of English football in years to come. Crystal Palace in the past with Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Adam Wharton have proven that they can offer players a solid foundation to harness their potential when making the jump up from Championship to Premier League.

For the Eagles, £20m would probably be a fair fee for Bellingham, but Sunderland, who are well in contention for promotion may feel they can get an even bigger fee for the youngster in the summer if he continues his current form.