Manchester United are rumoured to want to sign a number of midfielders during this month, as the side continues to underperform in the Premier League.

There is pressure on Ralf Rangnick to identify the right individuals and there is now a fresh link to one of the most sought after midfielders in world football right now.

What's the word?

The Athletic has reported that John Murtough has identified Jude Bellingham as top of the list for Man United's transfer targets.

However, the report claims that the Bundesliga star won't be targeted to join Old Trafford until the summer, along with Declan Rice, who has also been heavily linked with a move to the club over the next few months.

Bellingham is a popular player, who has been linked to a number of clubs including Red Devils rivals Liverpool, so United will have to make an attractive offer for the Borussia Dortmund midfielder at the end of the season.

Back in October, it was reported that the German outfit had slapped a whopping £101m asking price on the midfielder.

Scott McTominay upgrade

Securing the signature of the £49k-per-week dynamo would surely be an upgrade to their current midfield, and he would likely compete for Scott McTominay's spot in the team.

The Manchester United midfielder has been the subject of criticism on a number of occasions when the side's underwhelming form reaches its peak, with his partnership with Fred coming under fire often, will the pair labelled 'McFred.'

Roy Keane said earlier this season: "Look at the performance of the two midfielders. McTominay is a good, honest player. And they've got Fred. As long as those two players are in midfield for Manchester United, they will not be winning any big trophies.

When you compare Bellingham and McTominay this season alone for their clubs in their respective leagues, the 18 year old, who was hailed "scary" by Manchester United legend, Keane, has shown considerable more.

He scored more goals (3 vs 1), made more ball recoveries, attempted and completed more passes, been successful in more take-ons and even from a defensive perspective has won 42 more ground duels in the same number of appearances as his Man United counterpart, McTominay, according to Squawka.

From this comparison alone, it is clear why the board at the 20 league title winning club are eager to sign the youngster, however they will likely need to put themselves in a much more attractive position in the league by securing Champions League football to ensure they can beat their Premier League competitors for his signature.

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