It is safe to say Manchester United have had a disappointing start to the Premier League season. The Red Devils sit 12th in the league and have already exited the League Cup at the first time of asking with a 3-2 loss to Brighton. 

Michael Carrick's side has tasted victory only twice this season in all competitions, with their sole league win coming in the massive 5-2 win over Ipswich, followed by a 4-0 win over Sabah in the Champions League. 

The club is currently three games without a win after losing the Manchester derby, the aforementioned cup exit, and then clutching a late equaliser to draw against Fulham in the final game before the international break.

With injuries in forward areas to Benjamin Sesko and also at left-back in recent times, it is no surprise to see the club begin to be linked to players for the January transfer window. 3

Jean-Philippe Mateta is a striker who will be well known to many Premier League fans. After a struggle in his early career at Crystal Palace, he has now scored over 10 goals in three consecutive seasons since the 23/24 season. 

During the summer of 2025, when the club eventually signed Benjamin Sesko, Mateta was previously heavily linked with Manchester United towards the end of the 24/25 season. 

However, since then, the Frenchman has had a well-publicised fallout with Palace and is known to want a move away. In January last season, he was close to a move to AC Milan, but the BBC reported that the £30 million move collapsed due to issues with his medical. 

Despite the striker going on to score the winner in the Conference League final for Palace and secure their first European trophy, the striker is still reportedly unhappy. 

According to TeamTalk, United are ready to ramp up their interest in the Frenchman in January as they look to bring in a like-for-like striker to compete with Sesko.  Jason Wilcox has been reported to have a keen interest in the player. 

Mateta would also be entering the final six months in January, meaning any potential deal could be on better financial terms than deals for other players.

After scoring on his debut against Fulham in the 24/25 season, Joshua Zirkzee has struggled to find his feet at Manchester United, and it is no surprise that in almost every window since then he has been linked with a potential move away. 

No doubt he is a brilliant player on the ball and in the right system could excel, but his time at United seems to be a continuous struggle. 

TeamTalk has revealed that in January, the club could look to move the Dutchman on as they try to make space to bring in a striker like Mateta. Palace have been a club that has shown interest in the player in the past, according to the report. 

This could potentially lead to talks for a deal that see's both sides part ways with players that either want out or want to move on, and receive a player in the same position that they have shown interest in the past.