Manchester United are reportedly eyeing up a raid on one of their bitter rivals in what could be a cut-price deal.

What's the word

That is according to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook, who has shared inside information on the potential comings and goings in the Premier League.

Taking to his transfer notebook, Crook has issued a report suggesting that the Red Devils could be eyeing a move for Liverpool's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in what would make for a rare piece of transfer business between the two clubs.

It is said that the 28-year-old is desperate to leave Anfield due to a lack of game-time, starting just nine league games in 2021/22. With United's lack of midfield depth, the Old Trafford club are said to fancy the 35-cap England international, as long as Klopp's side would be willing to accept a cut-price fee of £10m.

It is said that United face competition from Southampton for the midfielder's signature.

Supporters surely addled

The latest report from Crook will make for a strange reading among most United fans and will no doubt leave many of them addled.

Out of the four midfielders who are set to depart Old Trafford at the end of the month, Lingard is one of them - a positionally and technically similar player to Oxlade-Chamberlain - with both struggling for game-time, and the latter struggling for fitness for much of his career.

The move would not make sense from the Liverpool midfielder's perspective, either. If Lingard wasn't able to achieve regular minutes at United, it seems highly unlikely that Oxlade-Chamberlain would be a guaranteed starter under Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

If United are to make a move for the 28-year-old, it would make for a confusing signing in its own admission and will make the departure of Lingard even more sour.

It would make more sense for Ten Hag to promote some of the talented youth prospects at Carrington than sign an injury-prone midfielder who has been struggling for game-time with their arch-rivals. Given the animosity between the two clubs, a move for Oxlade-Chamberlain would likely not go down well among the Red Devils' fan base.

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