Manchester United boss Ten Hag obsessed with signing 23-year-old forward who Chelsea and Liverpool wanted in €40 million deal: Reports 

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is reportedly pushing his board to sign former Lens forward Lois Openda, who was also a recent Chelsea and Liverpool target.

Openda, 23, was in sparkling form for the Ligue 1 side last season. He bagged 21 goals and four assists, playing all 38 games, as Lens finished just a point behind perennial champions Paris Saint-Germain.

His exploits caught the attention of Premier League giants Chelsea and Liverpool, who were both eager to splash out nearly £40 million for his services. However, Bundesliga side RB Leipzig snapped him up this summer, with Barcelona also in the fray.

The Belgian has taken like a duck to the water at Leipzig, with five goals and two asissts in his first seven games across competitions. With Ten Hag far from happy with the form of his United attack and the options at his disposal, El Nacional has reported that the club could make a bid for Openda in January.

Marcus Rashford - who netted 30 times across competitions - has done so just once in 10 games in the current campaign. Ten Hag is also not convinced with Anthony Martial, who's in the final year of his deal, and Facundo Pellistri. Alejandro Garnacho has shown promise but is far from a finished product.

Moreover, Jadon Sancho is unavailable due to disciplinary issues, while Antony has just returned after dealing with off-field issues. The Dutch boss does have new signing Rasmus Hojlund but reportedly desires another reliable and consistent goalscorer like Openda up front.

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How have Manchester United fared this season?

Manchester United boss Erk ten Hag

Manchester United have made a hugely disappointing start to their 2023-24 campaign, winning only five of 11 games across competitions. The Red Devils, with 12 points from eight games, are tenth in the Premier League, eight behind surprise leaders Tottenham Hotspur.

Ten Hag's side opened their UEFA Champions League campaign with consecutive defeats (Bayern Munich away, Galatasaray home). It marked the first time they lost their first two games in the competition in a season.

United nearly slumped to their fifth league loss of the season - seventh across competitions. They were trailing Brentford at home last weekend entering the third minute of stoppage time. However, Scott McTominay's injury-time double helped secure a last-gasp win.

Nevertheless, the issues plaguing United are quite clear, starting up front. And Ten Hag wants to address them when the transfer window reopens next January.