Manchester United is preparing a £30 million bid for Valencia midfielder Carlos Soler as Jose Mourinho looks to strengthen his squad in January, according to reports.
Mourinho's team dropped points for the second weekend running on Saturday, as newly promoted Huddersfield Town beat United 2-1 in a shock result following the goalless draw at Anfield last weekend.
With Manchester City continuing its formidable run of form, beating Burnley 3-0 over the weekend, United has fallen five points behind its Premier League rival.
But with the transfer window reopening in little over two months, Mourinho is already preparing for how he can bolster his squad and challenge City for the title.
That may begin with 20-year-old Soler after United opened talks with Valencia about signing him in January, according to The Sun.
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Marouane Fellaini, Ander Herrera and Michael Carrick are all out of contract in the summer, and United sees Soler as the man who will eventually fit into the midfield alongside Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.
He has been a regular in the Valencia team for the past couple of seasons since breaking through from the reserves in 2015.
Although he has a release clause of £75 million (about $99 million), Valencia would reportedly accept a cash offer of around £30 million.
United, meanwhile, will look to return to form this week as Mourinho's team travels to Swansea City Tuesday for the Carabao Cup last-16 tie.
Then, on Saturday, Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham Hotspur travels to Old Trafford on the back of a 4-1 victory over Liverpool at Wembley on Sunday.
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