Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic could reject a move to the Premier League to join Manchester United in January in favour of a lucrative deal to move to Qatar Stars League side Al Duhail.
Mandzukic is reportedly one of a number of strikers the Red Devils are considering moves for during the winter transfer window, with Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson and Moussa Dembele of Lyon also on their possible hit-list.
The 33-year-old has had a long and successful career playing for the likes of Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid prior to his move to Turin in 2015, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is thought to be a big fan of the player.
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But according to the Daily Record Al Duhail could look to hijack United’s proposed move for Mandzukic by offering the forward an eye-watering salary of around €7.5m per year (£6.5m), while he has also recently been linked with La Liga side Sevilla.
Although Madzukic has a contract with Juventus that runs until 2021, he does not appear to be in Maurizio Sarri’s plans, and is yet to play a minute this season.
He was not even included in Juve’s Champions League squad for the group stages of the competition, and the player himself would no doubt consider moving on in January.
Last week Juve’s chief football officer Fabio Paratici appeared to confirm Mandzukic would be released by saying: “We are talking to Mandzukic to find the best possible solution. We remain open to any scenario; so staying here, or going elsewhere. We are discussing it to find the best solution for both parties.”
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United are desperate to add more firepower going forward to their ranks in January following the sale of last season’s top scorer Romelu Lukaku to Inter in August.
So far this season United’s top scorer is Marcus Rashford with five goals, with Anthony Martial close behind with four.
