Five strikers Man Utd should target in the January transfer window after Zirkzee fails audition | OneFootball

Manchester United need to target a striker in the January transfer window after Joshua Zirkzee failed to take his chance in their 1-0 defeat to Everton.

United signed Benjamin Sesko in the summer in a deal worth up to £74million, but he’s scored just two goals this season and is currently out with a knee injury.

His injury saw Joshua Zirkzee make his first start of the season against Everton, but the Netherlands international was unable to make any major impact against David Moyes’ side.

Zirkzee has attracted interest from the likes of AC Milan, West Ham and Aston Villa, and United would need to bring in another striker if they let him leave.

We’ve taken a look at five strikers United could realistically target in the January transfer window.

Serhou Guirassy

While Sesko has the potential to become one of the best strikers in Europe, United need an experienced number nine who would be ready to come in and make an immediate impact.

TEAMtalk understands that United could be offered the chance to sign Guirassy, who outscored Sesko in the Bundesliga in the two previous campaigns.

The 29-year-old netted 28 goals in 28 Bundesliga appearances for Stuttgart in 2023/24 before moving to Borussia Dortmund and scoring 21 goals in 30 Bundesliga appearances in 2024/25.

He also got 13 goals in the Champions League and four goals in the FIFA Club World Cup for Dortmund last season, taking his 2024/25 tally to 38 goals in all competitions.

The striker is yet to hit his top form in the first few months of this season but still has nine goals and four assists in 17 appearances in all competitions.

He has a €50million (£44.1m / $57.6m) release clause in his Dortmund contract, although it will only be available to an unspecified select group of ‘elite clubs’.

If United are on that list and decide to sign the Guinea international in January, he can go straight into the team as his country failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Dusan Vlahovic

Vlahovic shot to prominence after scoring 49 goals in 108 appearances for Fiorentina and joined Juventus in January 2022 in a deal worth up to £66.6million.

While the striker hasn’t lived up to expectations in Turin, he still has a respectable record of 64 goals and 16 assists in 161 appearances for the Old Lady.

His contract is due to expire at the end of the 2025/26 season and talks over a new deal have stalled as Juventus want the Serbia international to take a pay cut.

If they are unable to reach an agreement, they may sell him in the January transfer window in order to avoid losing the 25-year-old on a free transfer next summer.

TEAMtalk sources understand that United have been informed of the situation and a fee in the region of €20million (£17.5m / $23m) would be enough to secure his signature.

Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic

Jean-Philippe Mateta

United signed Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha in the summer as they were both Premier League-proven forwards and wouldn’t need time to adapt to a new league.

The same cannot be said of Sesko, who arrived from RB Leipzig and has admitted that “the level is much higher” in the Premier League than in the Bundesliga.

TEAMtalk transfer insider Dean Jones has suggested that United will continue to give priority to signing players with Premier League experience in future windows.

They have been credited with an interest in Mateta, who has gone from strength to strength at Crystal Palace over the last two-and-a-half seasons.

The 28-year-old had a 16-goal haul in the Premier League in the 2023/24 campaign, scored 14 in 2024/25 and has now netted six league goals this season.

His contract at Selhurst Park is due to expire at the end of the 2026/27 season and recent reports suggest that talks over a new deal have stalled due to his salary demands.

Palace are set to lose Marc Guehi on a free transfer in the summer and may sell Mateta for around £40million as they look to avoid a repeat of that situation.

Ivan Toney

Toney also has a proven track record in the Premier League, having scored 36 goals in 83 top-flight appearances for Brentford.

The striker joined Al-Ahli in 2024 and has netted 41 goals in 61 appearances for the Saudi Pro League side, helping them win the Asian Champions League and the Saudi Super Cup.

Despite his impressive goal return, he has played just two minutes of football for England since the Euro 2024 final and currently looks set to miss out on a place in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad.

TEAMtalk understands that the 29-year-old has told close associates he is ready to take a pay cut to force a move back to the Premier League in the January transfer window.

A move to Old Trafford would see Toney reunite with Bryan Mbeumo after making 119 appearances alongside the Cameroon international at Brentford.

They formed an impressive partnership at the Gtech Community Stadium, with Mbeumo setting up 15 goals for Toney and the latter setting up four goals for the former.

“We saw Bryan and Ivan’s relationship today and they are a dynamic duo — similar to (Dwight) Yorke and (Andy) Cole,” the then-Brentford manager Thomas Frank said after a 2-0 win over Wolves in 2021.

United can recreate that partnership if they bring Toney to Old Trafford in January, although they will face competition from Tottenham and Everton.

Danny Welbeck

A United academy graduate, Welbeck scored 29 goals in 142 matches for his childhood club before joining Arsenal in a £16million deal in 2014.

He had an injury-hit spell at the Emirates but has since become a key player for Brighton & Hove Albion and was their joint-top scorer in the Premier League last season with 10 goals.

The Athletic revealed that United explored conditions for bringing him back to Old Trafford in the summer as they felt he would add experience, technical quality, and heritage to the squad.

But United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe did not want to sanction a two-year contract to a 34-year-old and the move failed to materialise.

They may now be regretting that decision as the striker has since scored seven goals in 12 Premier League appearances this season, including a brilliant free-kick in Brighton’s 4-2 loss against United.

Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Brentford’s Igor Thiago are currently the only players with more Premier League goals than Welbeck in the 2025/26 campaign.

“We speak a lot about him during the season,” Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler said. “He is like a good red wine, the older he gets, the better he gets, and we are very pleased to have him in our squad as a leader, as a player, as a personality.”

But his contract at Brighton is set to expire at the end of the season and a cut-price deal could be possible for United in the January transfer window.