Mario Mandzukic Reaches Verbal Agreement With Man Utd Over Surprise January Switch

Mario Mandzukic will join Manchester United from Juventus at the beginning of the January transfer window after a 'verbal agreement' was reached between the player's representatives and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side - according to a report in Italy.

The Red Devils have been on the hunt for forward reinforcements over the summer after sanctioning the sale of Romelu Lukaku to Inter - with Mandzukic one of the names tipped to move to Old Trafford. However, the Croatian opted to remain in Turin and fight for his place.

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That decision proved to be a mistake with the Croatian failing to break into the first-team at all so far this season, being left out entirely of the club's 25-man Champions League squad. 

It seemed as if a move to Qatar was then on the cards, but the striker opted against joining Al-Rayyan on a deal worth £7m-per-year, preferring to remain in Europe.

According to Italian publication Tuttosport, as relayed by the ​Mirror, his next destination appears almost certainly to be ​United, after the player's camp reached an agreement with the ​Premier League side to join the struggling Red Devils at the turn of the New Year.

The season has begun dreadfully for Solskjaer's side, who find themselves languishing in 12th place in the league after accumulating just nine points from their opening eight fixtures. 

One of the club's key struggles has been in the striking department, where they have failed to score more than once in a match since their opening day hammering of Chelsea at Old Trafford. While no spring chicken at 33-years-old, Mandzukic would come in as a temporary fix to those striking difficulties on a deal that's length has not been specified.

With current forward options Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford failing to lead the line with poise this season, the potential arrival of Mandzukic will offer Solskjaer a different approach up front - with the physical Croatian hoping to bring some added bite to their currently toothless front line.

United's next league clash comes after the international break comes to a close, with a crunch encounter with arch-rivals ​Liverpool on the horizon.

Source : 90min