Man Utd tipped to sign five players in January transfer window - this is exactly who they should buy

Manchester United may not be able to make up their mind as to whether they’re a crisis club or not, but while results have been all over the place one thing has remained consistent – the acceptance that they need to do business in January. Because whether rumours of a dressing room rebellion are accurate or not, there are quite a few players who Erik ten Hag would plainly prefer to see the back of, and quite a few positions in desperate need of some strengthening.

The rumour mill has been pretty consistent when it comes to identifying players who could be on their way out, with Jadon Sancho, Raphaël Varane and Casemiro at the top of the list, but there have inevitably been press reports linking United with a swoop for just about halfway-plausible player in Europe, so figuring out who could be coming in is rather trickier – so to make life a little easier, we’ve gone through the rumours to pick out the five most plausible and up-to-date, and given our verdicts on which Ten Hag should go for.

Jean-Clair Todibo (OGC Nice)

Regardless of Harry Maguire’s renaissance, United are very much in the market for a centre-back – the only question is which one they decide to pursue. It seems as though Ten Hag has a three-man shortlist in mind at this point, with finances and other practicalities the likely deciding factors. Whether they are able to move Varane on this winter or not probably won’t change much, as the Frenchman is now seen as surplus to requirements regardless – not that that stopped Maguire from making a comeback…

The single name most commonly linked with United is OGC Nice’s Todibo, which makes especial sense because the French club are owned by Ineos, who are likely to complete their purchase of a minority stake in United in the coming weeks. Seeing as United would essentially be negotiating with themselves at that point, it would certainly be the easiest possible deal to get over the line. That’s no bad thing, either, because Todibo has been exceptional this season and is pretty much the complete package – a fine tackler, physically impressive and excellent with the ball at his feet. This is the most likely signing for United to make, and perhaps the best, but much depends on whether Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos can finally put the tortuous negotiations with the Glazers to bed.

Ronald Araújo (Barcelona)

The second defender on Ten Hag’s list, Uruguayan centre-half Araújo is a regular starter with Barcelona and has a contract that runs until 2026, but that hasn’t stopped some sections of the press claiming that they have already discussed doubling his reported €135,000 (£115,800) weekly wage with the player’s representatives.

What makes this signing plausible is that Barça have essentially been forced to become a selling club due to their ongoing financial woes, although they’d probably look to extract a healthy sum from United for an important player, especially given that they’ve got ground to claw back in a title race. From United’s perspective much of the appeal will be based on his ball-carrying and passing skills – but while the 24-year-old is technically exceptional, he doesn’t offer the same degree of defensive solidity as Todibo and would almost certainly cost a lot more. We suspect that Araújo is a back-up plan, albeit one that could still be a very good one if the price is right.

Leny Yoro (Lille)

The third defender whose name has cropped up with enough frequency for us to be confident that he’s a very genuine option – as he may also be for cross-town rivals Manchester City. There could be an intriguing transfer tussle brewing over the 18-year-old.

We’ve reported on Yoro in some detail before, so head to that article for a full run-down on his strengths and weaknesses, but the bullet points are that he’s tall, excellent on the ball, hard-working off it and lavishly talented, with a big career ahead of him. Of course, he still has a few years of developing to do before he’s the full-blown real deal, so would it make sense for United to sign him now? Lille would want a hefty fee, so we’ve got this down as a deal that United would prefer to revisit in the summer, should City not get in there first. A fabulous young player, if the fee can be kept proportionate, but United need a defender who's ready to go right now - so Todibo should surely be the priority.

Donyell Malen (Borussia Dortmund)

Moving on from defence, there is also an evident need for a refresh up front, with far too many players either horribly out of form, very young, or simply persona non grata in the case of Sancho, who United will do everything possible to be rid of in January. Surprisingly few wide forwards have been linked with a move to Old Trafford, but the one name that keeps coming up is that of Dutch wideman Malen.

Towards the end of last season and for the first few games of the current campaign, Malen was simply unstoppable, bagging 11 goals in 14 league games either side of the summer, but he’s only scored once since – so the question is whether United would be signing the best version of Malen, who looks like a world-class wide forward, or a less inspiring player who hit a brief spell of brilliant form. Much of the speculation around the possible signing hinges on Sancho moving back to Dortmund in a part-exchange deal, which would keep the fee reasonable. If that’s the case, we reckon it’s a good gamble to take, but if Sancho moved elsewhere or decided against a return to Dortmund, a big fee could make a move for Malen a bit too risky. We’re on the fence about this one, but there’s a brilliant player in there – whether he can play like that on a regular basis remains to be seen.

Serhiou Guirassy (VfB Stuttgart)

The 27-year-old Guinean striker has been linked with just about every team in the Premier League at this point, but United appear to have emerged not just as genuine contenders for his signature but also as favourites to sign him from Stuttgart. A hugely impressive campaign which has seen him scored 16 Bundesliga goals already means the late bloomer’s supposed release clause, which apparently stands at just €17.5m (£15m), looks like a massive bargain.

At that price point, there’s no debate that Guirassy should be a great signing, and wouldn’t be too expensive of a mistake if he didn’t pan out for some reason. Rasmus Højlund’s form and confidence seem to have collapsed after a bright start to life at United, so bringing in another centre-forward makes a great deal of sense, and while Guirassy isn’t the kind of player who offers much beyond hanging around the area and scoring a ton of goals, that’s something United sorely need right now. They’ll face competition – Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have also been linked – but United should have the cash and clout to get the deal done if the Guinean is keen. We’d give this deal an A+ at such a low price point.