Manchester United line-up January move for Liverpool target

Manchester United want to sign RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner in January to bolster their attacking options, claims The Daily Mirror.

Werner has been heavily linked with a move away from Leipzig in the last six months, with both Liverpool and Bayern Munich keen on the versatile striker.

It was thought Werner would run down his Leipzig contract and join Bayern on a free at the end of the current campaign.

However, Werner ended up signing a new long-term deal with Leipzig in the summer, though his new terms include a £27m release clause.

Werner is regarded as one of the best young strikers in Europe and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has earmarked the Leipzig star as a top January transfer target.

United failed to sign a replacement for Romelu Lukaku in the summer and have really struggled to get going in attack this season.

The Red Devils have scored more than once in a league match in just two of their first 11 outings and failed to find the back of the net against Bournemouth at the weekend.

Werner, meanwhile, remarkably registered a hat-trick of goals and assists at the weekend in Leipzig’s stunning 8-0 win over Mainz.

The 23-year-old has now played a direct hand in 12 goals in 10 league appearances this season, a return bettered only by Robert Lewandowski (14) in the Bundesliga.