Sir Alex Ferguson appears to be in the hunt for reinforcements as the Manchester United boss looks to upgrade his squad.

Manchester United could be ready to launch a £20 million offer for Everton midfielder Marouane Fellaini, according to Metro. The Belgium international recently suggested that this season could be his last at Goodison Park, with United thought to be one of a number of clubs interested in the 24-year-old.

The need for a central midfielder at Old Trafford was once again illustrated in the most transparent terms on the weekend as United found themselves overrun in the middle of the pitch when opponents Liverpool had 11 men on the pitch. Even when the Merseysiders went down to 10 men, it took the arrival of 37-year-old Paul Scholes to begin to tip the balance toward United.

Fellaini’s mix of physicality and goal getting could be a welcome addition to the United lineup. The former Standard Liege player has played a leading role in Everton’s impressive start to the season and has now hinted that he may wish to remain at the club.

“I am happy here,” he said. “I play for a great club, with great players and wonderful fans. Every season I get better.”

Fellaini is not the only midfielder to be linked to United of late, with TalkSport claiming that they are one of a number of Premier League clubs interested in Zenit St Petersburg’s Igor Denisov.

The 28-year-old’s future at the Russian club has recently been called into question after he was forced to play with the youth team following his criticism of the salaries being paid to new signings Hulk and Axel Witsel.

The Russia captain’s situation is now said to be being monitored by United—as well as Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City—with a view to a move in the January transfer window.

Manchester United are also reported to be one of a number of clubs interested in Montpellier captain Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa. The central defender was thought to be close to joining Milan in the summer, while Arsenal were also heavily linked. Spanish publication El Mundo Deportivo now reports that Barcelona are also closely monitoring the 23-year-old France international, with United and Chelsea also in the hunt.

While United have plenty of options in central defense, injuries have severely hampered their backline in recent times. Having missing much of last season, it was revealed on Tuesday that Nemanja Vidic will miss another eight weeks with a knee injury.

With Rio Ferdinand’s fitness increasingly in question due to his advancing years and neither Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Jonny Evans yet to fully convince that they belong at the highest level, a new defender may well be on Sir Alex Ferguson’s wish list.

Finally, while reports recently emerged that Paris Saint-Germain were closing in on reported Manchester United target Neymar, it has now been claimed that Barcelona remain the Brazilian’s next destination.

It has long been thought that the 20-year-old would move to the Camp Nou when he finally left Santos. According to Spanish publication Sport, the Spanish giants believe they have a deal in place for the forward to arrive, likely next season, and are not concerned about the interest of big spending PSG.

Earlier this month, the Sun reported that United had made a surprising £38 million bid for Neymar at the end of the summer transfer window.

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