It has been a very quiet window for Manchester United despite major problems in their midfield. The club's strategy is clear: solidifying foundations for summer targets, who are part of their long term vision. 


United's recruitment team are waiting for the month of February to pursue contacts with representatives of their core transfer targets.The priority positions considered by United for the summer are: deep lying midfielder and wing-back. 


As things stand, United are not interested in doing business this month unless a summer target becomes available in the market. This is mainly because it's difficult to set the tone for negotiations in January. The focus might change if they manage to see some players.


Meanwhile, Ralf Rangnick is pushing for a midfielder in this window. He seems to be frustrated with the position taken by United's board.


Mali international Amadou Haidara remains on top of Rangnick's wishlist. United have scouted this midfielder before and Rangnick knows the player very well due to their previous strong relationship at Leipzig. 


Preliminary talks have been held between United and Leipzig for signing Haidara. There is an open dialogue now. Nothing is advanced but there is a firm interest from the Red Devils. Leizig would be willing to do a deal for his release clause of £33m.


The player had publicly stated that he's interested to play for United: “Everyone had a favourite team as a kid. Mine was Manchester United. I was a big fan of Ronaldo, I liked Scholes, Evra, Van der Sar, Anderson.”


In terms of profile, Haidara belongs to the box-to-box category of midfielders and fits perfectly into Rangnick's plan(check pizza plot in next image). The Malian international was accustomed to less possession and more pressing at Leipzig. This particular attribute suits the compatibility within a team that tries to win the ball back from their opposition.


With United dropping points in the last two games, a knee-jerk reaction from the club's board wouldn't be surprising. Expecting this transfer to go down to the wire especially with Haidara playing in Africa Cup of Nations. 

Source: Jonathan Shrager (Stretty News), Laurie Whitwell (Athletic UK), Simon Mullock(Mirror), Bild