3 clubs in race to sign Manchester United forward: Reports

Manchester United forward Facundo Pellistri has reportedly attracted interest from three clubs in the ongoing winter transfer window.

Pellistri, 21, has been one of the most exciting prospects at Old Trafford since his arrival from Penarol for a fee of around £7.5 million in 2020.

However, Manchester United sent the Uruguayan out on a one-and-a-half-year loan to Deportivo Alaves in January last year to further his development. He racked up 1201 La Liga minutes for the struggling outfit, failing to register a single goal involvement in 33 matches.

Since returning from his temporary spell in Spain, Pellistri has failed to cement his place in Red Devils manager Erik ten Hag's plans in the ongoing 2022-23 season. So far, he has made just one substitute appearance during a 3-0 EFL Cup victory against Charlton Athletic.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Pellistri has recently popped up on the radar of Valencia, Bologna and Botafogo. All three clubs are believed to be interested in a short-term loan deal with a buy option.

Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, and Anthony Elanga are now ahead of Pellistri in the pecking order at United. He could thus seal a temporary transfer away from Old Trafford this campaign.

Pellistri, who has a contract until June 2025, has 10 international caps to his name since his senior debut for Uruguay in January last year.

Manchester United, on the other hand, have reached an agreement with Besiktas for the termination of their season-long loan of Burnley striker Wout Weghorst. The club are set to dish out a compensation fee of £2.6 million in the process of completing a six-month loan deal.

A towering presence in and around the penalty box, the Netherlands international has completed medical tests and finalized his contract with Ten Hag's side, as per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Manchester United identify offensive targets for summer transfer window: Reports

During a recent Q/A session for Manchester Evening News, respected journalist Samuel Luckhurst was queried about Manchester United's targets in the upcoming summer transfer window. He responded:

"Both [Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen] are of interest to Manchester United but could be outpriced for both of them. Ten Hag does like Benfica's Goncalo Ramos and Mohammed Kudus at Ajax. They are both considered more attainable. Kudus would be relatively straightforward, although if United plump for him, they should get that done early after Ajax had them over a barrel with Antony."

The Red Devils are currently in dire need of a top striker with Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford as their only available up-front options.