Manchester United plan to sign a striker in January, and while Dominic Calvert-Lewin is set to remain in Leeds, a different Premier League striker is on board with moving to Old Trafford.

News broke over the past 36 hours of Benjamin Sesko being ruled out until the new year with a persistent shin injury. Man Utd do not want a scenario where Sesko returns for a handful of games before going back on the treatment table. Instead, the Slovenian won’t step foot on the field again until the shin problem is 100 percent resolved, hence the lengthy lay-off.

With Joshua Zirkzee unfancied and his future up in the air anyway, there’s a clear need for a new No 9 in January.

The Athletic recently confirmed the Red Devils are now actively exploring the mid-season market. Leeds ace, Calvert-Lewin, is among those under consideration.

However, a subsequent report from the BBC quickly shut that story down. They stated Calvert-Lewin is ‘set to sign a new contract at Leeds United.’

BBC reporter, Simon Stone, added: ‘The news will come as a blow to Manchester United, who are looking at bringing in a forward in January after Benjamin Sesko was ruled out for an extended period as he tries to recover from a shin injury.’

TEAMtalk has consistently reported United’s priority when signing a new striker is the frontman possesses extensive Premier League experience.

That is why the likes of Danny Welbeck and Ollie Watkins came under serious consideration in recent windows, and more recently, Calvert-Lewin.

But with Calvert-Lewin off the table, United may now be ready to push the button on signing Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta instead.

Jean-Philippe Matets says YES to joining Man Utd in January

The Frenchman, 29, has been angling for a way out of Selhurst Park for several years, and came close to joining AC Milan last January before a knee issue raised in the medical torpedoed the move.

Mateta scored 42 Premier League goals over the past three seasons and back on September 29, our insider, Graeme Bailey, revealed United’s interest.

United’s admiration was confirmed once again by sources on October 20, while talkSPORT subsequently claimed Mateta ‘would be keen on a move’ to Old Trafford in January.

Mateta is out of contract at season’s end, meaning the winter window is Palace’s last chance to cash in. He will not sign a new contract in south London.

Given the player’s contract situation and age, the transfer fee required to sign Mateta in January will not be particularly high.

One complication for Man Utd – aside from having to convince Palace to sell – is Tottenham are also circling over Mateta.

Painfully for United, it could be argued Spurs are a more attractive destination right now. That’s certainly the way shared target, Mateus Fernandes, saw the situation last summer.