Manchester United are open to bringing in midfield reinforcements on loan during the January transfer window with a former Chelsea player now on their radar as he eyes a return to England
Ruben Loftus-Cheek hasn’t been playing regularly for AC Milan(Image: Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images)
Manchester United have been offered the chance to sign Ruben Loftus-Cheek with the former Chelsea man slipping down the pecking order at AC Milan.
The Red Devils, despite the change in the dugout, had originally made it clear to Michael Carrick that no business would be conducted in the New Year. That stance could now change with the club’s bosses open to bringing in a loan signing.
Last week, it emerged that United had held preliminary talks with a ‘mystery midfielder’ who had previous Premier League experience, but is now based abroad.
Loftus-Cheek ticks those boxes, turning out for Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Fulham, before signing for Milan in the summer of 2023.
But at the San Siro his game time has massively reduced and Loftus-Cheek is keen to return to England, reports talkSPORT, but talks regarding a move to Manchester are in their early stages as the clubs look to explore the level of interest.
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Loftus-Cheek has been part of Premier League and Europa League-winning teams whilst at Chelsea and would bring notable experience to the Manchester squad, whilst he has also shown his versatility over the years and was handed an England recall in October.
United, who remain firmly in the Champions League hunt, have also discussed the possibility of going after Wilfred Ndidi. The former Leicester midfielder is currently the captain of Besiktas but has aspirations to return to England for football and family reasons.
Carrick was able to extract a huge performance level from his team in his first game as United shocked Manchester City on Saturday. Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo started in midfield with the academy graduate overlooked by the previous regime. Carrick has talked him up previously and he could play a major role going forward.
The midfielder previously won the title at Chelsea(Image: CameraSport via Getty Images)
United’s reluctance to do business in January is because the players they’re targeting are not currently available. The club have three individuals on their shortlist – Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Elliot Anderson at Nottingham Forest.
All three are valued highly by their clubs, who will be loathed to let them go. There is an expectation that at least some of them will look to move on for a fresh challenge at some point, but availability is likely to play a major role in who the Manchester outfit ultimately pursue come the summer.
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