United looking to hijack West Ham’s pursuit of 19-goal forward; Newcastle also mulling over a bid

Manchester United are reportedly weighing up a move for in-form Stuttgart ace Serhou Guirassy, as per Football Insider.

At the beginning of January, The Athletic claimed that Guirassy was indeed on United’s shortlist, however, with little room for manoeuvre around Financial Fair Play restrictions, it remains to be seen if they could acquire a forward permanently this winter.

The 27-year-old’s release clause is just £15 million, hence the interest from the likes of AC Milan, Newcastle United and West Ham United, and the latter’s pursuit is believed to be more advanced than the rest.

Speculation suggests that Erik ten Hag is keen to bring in a forward who can ease the goalscoring burden on Rasmus Hojlund, who has two Premier League goals to his name after his first 16 appearances in the division.

United’s misfiring frontline

Anthony Martial has been unavailable through illness since United’s 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth on December 9 and there is little clarity on when he will be ready to feature again.

Elsewhere, Marcus Rashford has been out-of-form this term but was able to contribute his fourth goal of the season against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, while Antony is yet to register a single goal contribution in 17 outings.

Guirassy has been one of the most prolific attackers across Europe this campaign and currently has 19 goals and two assists in all competitions after 16 matches played. In the Bundesliga, he ranks only behind the world-class Harry Kane (22) in the race for the Golden Boot with 17 to his name, and he is six ahead of Lois Openda in third.