Chelsea and Manchester United consider January move to sign Nigerian forward with £26 million price-tag – Reports

Chelsea and Manchester United could reportedly lock horns against each other to sign Real Sociedad striker Umar Sadiq next January.

Both clubs have made poor starts to the 2023-24 campaign. While Erik ten Hag's side are in 10th place with 12 points from eight league matches, the south-west London outfit are currently in 11th spot with 11 points from eight Premier League games. Amongst other problems, a major area of concern has been their prowess in front of goal.

As a result, as per Spanish news outlet Todofichajes, both Manchester United and Chelsea are on the hunt for a new number nine. They have reportedly earmarked Sadiq as a perfect addition in the upcoming window.

Sadiq, who joined Real Sociedad from UD Almeria for close to £17 million in 2022, could decide to leave his current club due to Andre Silva's summer arrival. He has also struggled to recover his earlier form after recently recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Hence, the 26-year-old could opt to join either of Manchester United or Chelsea in search of regular minutes to return back to his goalscoring self. He has scored just one goal and laid out one assist in 371 minutes of action, spread across 12 games for Real Sociedad.

Sadiq, who is reportedly valued in the region of £26 million, shot to fame during his two-year stint at UD Almeria. He registered 43 goals and 19 assists in 84 matches across competitions for the La Liga 2 outfit.

Should Sadiq secure a move to Manchester United in the future, he could prove to be a fine signing for them. He would lessen the workload on Rasmus Hojlund, who is likely to retain his regular starting berth.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian could emerge as a first-team starter at Chelsea should he join them in the January window. He could provide healthy competition to the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja.

Chelsea willing to battle Manchester United to sign Schalke teenager Assan Ouedraogo - Reports

According to TEAMtalk, Chelsea are interested in signing Schalke teenager Assan Ouedraogo after the midfielder's rise to prominence this season. Their scouts have been monitoring the 17-year-old of late.

However, the Blues are set to face tough competition from Manchester United and Bayern Munich to acquire the German's signature. United's scouts have reportedly also been keeping tabs on the player's development.

Schalke, on the other hand, are said to be willing to enter discussions with a suitor should a bid in the region of £15 million is lodged, as per TEAMtalk. They are well aware about their youth product's potential and could try to eke out a larger transfer fee in light of his current four-year contract.

Ouedraogo, who joined Schalke's youth ranks from Union 09 Mulheim in 2014, has made nine appearances for his team so far. He has started six of them, scoring his first goal in a 5-3 loss at Hamburg last August.