Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy and RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner remain transfer targets for Manchester United, along with Borussia Dortmund’s Donyell Malen, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Reports in the German media on Friday claimed that the Red Devils were actively negotiating a deal for Malen but, writing in his Daily Briefing Substack column, Romano said that the Dutchman is just one of many forwards being looked at:

“Malen is not happy with Dortmund and he’s not happy to play on the wing because he wants to play as a central striker. United know this but there’s also Timo Werner at Leipzig, Serhou Guirassy with a €17.5m release clause in his contract with Stuttgart – so there are multiple possibilities.”

It was suggested that a swap deal involving Malen and Jadon Sancho could be considered but Romano played down the chances of that happening during the January transfer window.

United could soon have different people in charge of transfers

One of the reasons fans should remain sceptical about any transfer links is the fact that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is likely to revamp the recruitment team once his purchase of a minority stake in the club is announced.

Football director John Murtough is expected to be replaced and his successor may have different ideas in terms of transfer targets.

The Guirassy and Werner deals do make sense in terms of FFP

Manager Erik ten Hag has already publicly stated that there won’t be much money to spend next month due to Financial Fair Play restrictions. Considering Guirassy’s very low release clause, the Guinean could be a cost-effective solution to strengthen United’s options up front.

There have also been suggestions that Werner could be made available on loan by Leipzig, which would make him another realistic option financially. As Romano says, though, no decision has been made yet on who the club will pursue.