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Manchester United made a losing end to the year, as they went down 2-1 to Nottingham Forest at City Ground on Saturday (December 30) in the Premier League. Marcus Rashford's goal proved to be a mere consolation.
Meanwhile, the Red Devils are planning to move for Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich in 2024. Elsewhere, the Premier League giants have received a boost in their plans to sign Nice centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo.
On that note, here's a look at the key Manchester United transfer stories as on December 31, 2023:
Manchester United want Joshua Kimmich
Manchester United are interested in Joshua Kimmich, according to AS. The 28-year-old's future at Bayern Munich remains up in the air, despite the player being a first-team regular under Thomas Tuchel this season. Kimmich's contract with the Bundesliga side runs out in 2025, but he's yet to sign a new deal.
The Red Devils are closely following developments at the Allianz Arena and want to move for him next summer. Erik ten Hag's midfield remains a cause for concern, as evident by his team's failure to control games this season. The Dutch manager is seeking solutions ahead of next season, amid the uncertainties surrounding the futures of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen.
Kimmich has been identified as the ideal candidate for the job and could be on the move next summer. Manchester City and Barcelona have also had their eyes on the German, but Manchester United are leading the race.
Red Devils receive Jean-Clair Todibo boost
Manchester United have received a boost in their plans to sign Jean-Clair Todibo in 2024.
According to acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham Hotspur have failed to reach an agreement regarding a move for the French defender. The Red Devils are also in the market for defensive reinforcements and are eyeing a move for Tobido in January.
However, in his column for Caught Offside, Romano added that a transfer is most likely to materialise in the summer.
"The centre-back situation at Tottenham is clear – they want their new signing for that position to join next week. They had talks with Nice over Jean-Clair Todibo, but, at the moment, there is no agreement.
"They don’t want to lose a lot of time. They don’t want to spend too long in negotiations, and so the Todibo deal looks close to collapsing,” wrote Romano.
He added:
“I’m sure Todibo remains on Manchester United’s list since last summer and even now but could he be one for June. Nice want big money now, so it looks like a difficult deal.”
Interestingly, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who recently took over 25% shares of Manchester United, is also the owner of Nice, the club Todio currently plays for.
Amad Diallo backed to move to Southampton by journalist
Amad Diallo will jump at the chance to join Southampton, according to journalist Dean Jones.
The Ivorian forward picked up a knee injury in pre-season and only returned to action on Saturday against Nottingham Forest. However, with intense competition for places at Manchester United, Amad is no longer guaranteed first-team football at Old Trafford.
There have been talks of a loan exit in the winter, with Football Insider reporting interest in the player from the Saints. Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones said that a move to St. Mary's Stadium would work in the 21-year-old's favour.
"This is one of the more exciting players that Saints can be linked with right now. I think it's one of the best rumours out there at the moment, to be honest.
"I think it's something the player would probably jump at given Saints' form and the confidence that he could take from being involved in a team like that would really suit him," said Jones.
He continued:
"To be playing in a side that is dominant and scoring a good amount of goals and are on the up. So, yeah, I think that this is something that could really help get Southampton in contention to not just make the playoffs, but actually look at that top two."
The Red Devils could also opt to keep hold of Amad amid the poor form of Antony and Marcus Rashford.
