Chelsea planning January bid for Man Utd target as Boehly's spending nears £500m

Chelsea are preparing a January bid to sign a Manchester United transfer target, according to reports.

United's business in the current window has been sparse, with Erik ten Hag mainly limited to pursuing cheaper permanent deals or loan swoops.

Their only signing so far this window has been the acquisition of Wout Weghorst from Burnley on a temporary basis, with the United boss wanting to add more depth to his frontline following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Weghorst has started both of the games he has been available for United, including Sunday's 3-2 defeat against Arsenal, where he played a role in the build-up to Marcus Rashford's opening goal.

But other opportunities to bring in new players appear to have been thin on the ground for the club, although Ten Hag reiterated 'never say never' in a press conference last week.

One player United have been heavily linked with is Lyon defender Malo Gusto, who is 19 years of age and has broken into the first team setup of the French side in the last two campaigns.

He has made 15 Ligue 1 appearances this season, and has attracted attention for his superb attacking qualities and ball progression skills.

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, United are one of several clubs, including Real Madrid and AC Milan, to be tracking the right-back - but they may lose out to another Premier League club.

Chelsea keen on Man Utd target

The Telegraph have reported on Chelsea's main priorities for the remainder of the January transfer window, as the club's spending this season under new co-owner Todd Boehly nears the £500 million mark.

They say that Everton winger Anthony Gordon is under consideration, while they have already submitted a bid to sign Gusto from Lyon.

It is claimed that the bid was turned down, however Chelsea are likely to return with an improved offer to seal the signing of one of Europe's brightest young full-backs.

He would provide much-needed cover for Reece James, who has been sidelined with two separate injuries since before the World Cup. The England international has played just once in that period, playing 57 minutes in the 2-0 win over Bournemouth on December 27 before being forced off with a recurrence of his previous knee ligament injury.