Man Utd’s January striker shortlist with five players is out, and the club is ‘thinking about’ a move for Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Manchester United are looking at new centre forwards ahead of the January transfer window, with five players, including Dominic Calvert-Lewin, being talked about as possible options.
It’s been a tough start to the 2026-27 season for Michael Carrick’s team, and not having Benjamin Sesko hasn’t made scoring goals any easier. Sesko, who last played for United in mid-September during a Carabao Cup loss to Brighton, has been out with a shin injury for most of the season.
The 23-year-old has had thorough medical checks at Carrington, but the club is worried he might be out for another four months, according to The Sun. If that’s true, United may need to bring in a new striker in January. So, who’s being linked?
Leeds United’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin is one name. According to The Athletic, the 29-year-old striker has been on United’s radar for a while. The club’s scouts are checking if a January move could actually happen, but chances of it going through are said to be pretty low.
Other players linked with United this month include Nicolo Tresoldi, a young striker doing really well with Belgian side Club Brugge, having scored 11 goals in 12 games this season. The race to sign Tresoldi, who is 22, is expected to be intense, with Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Barcelona also interested. Still, he’s on United’s shortlist, according to TeamTalk.
TeamTalk also mentions Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, Freiburg’s Igor Matanovic, and Dion Beljo from Dinamo Zagreb as targets. Mateta has Premier League experience, with 50 goals in 164 games for Palace. Matanovic has scored seven goals this season, and Beljo is having a fantastic run with 17 goals in 17 games.
In other news, Manchester City’s wing-back Rayan Ait-Nouri might be open to joining United in January. He moved to City from Wolves in summer 2025 but only played 17 Premier League games last season and just 168 minutes this season. City’s sporting director Hugo Viana wants to sort out his future soon, and United are interested, especially as they look for a left-back after Luke Shaw’s injury.