Manchester United transfer news: Newcastle and Red Devils lock horns over Leicester’s Wesley Fofana

Manchester United will reportedly challenge Newcastle United for the signing of Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana in January.

The Magpies are expected to strengthen their squad during the winter window after being bought by a staggeringly wealthy Saudi-backed consortium earlier this month.

According to French outlet But, Fofana has been a priority transfer target for the Red Devils since last spring, but they could now be forced into action by the new owners at St. James’ Park.

Newcastle, who have a reported £185 million transfer kitty to spend in January, have already contacted the centre-back’s representatives about a potential move.

That could push United into making an offer, as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks for ways to strengthen a creaking backline that conceded six goals in the last two games against Leicester and Atalanta.

We’ve already lost track of how many players Newcastle have been connected to since they became one of the world’s wealthiest teams overnight.

But if the second-bottom side are looking to strengthen mid-season, the defence seems an obvious place to start.

The Tynesiders have the worst defensive record in the Premier League this season, conceding 19 goals in eight matches, three more than rock-bottom Norwich.

You can understand the attraction of Fofana for both sides, as the 20-year-old adapted impressively to English football after arriving from Saint Etienne last year, making 28 league appearances under Brendan Rodgers.

January does seem a strange time to make a move for the youngster, though, as he broke his leg in pre-season.

He isn’t expected to return until next year and he'll then presumably need some time to get back into full match fitness, making him an unlikely contender to immediately transform either of his suitors’ defensive woes.

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