Man Utd scouts watch Dembele, Soumare

Moussa Dembele has 15 goals in 29 appearances for Lyon this term

Manchester United have sent scouts to watch Lyon striker Moussa Dembele and Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare.

Lyon and Lille are facing off in the French League Cup semi-final on Tuesday and United scouts are in attendance as they ramp up their search for a midfielder and a striker.

Dembele remains a strong option for United after interest in the summer, and Old Trafford scouts have also watched the 23-year-old in action against Nantes last weekend when he scored and set up a goal in a 4-3 win.

Lyon have reiterated their will to keep hold of the France international through an official statement, with president Jean-Michel Aulas saying the former Celtic striker “wants to stay to win something with Lyon”.

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Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol gives an update on Manchester United’s hunt for a striker, with scouts watching Dembele

Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol gives an update on Manchester United’s hunt for a striker, with scouts watching Dembele

However, this month the Ligue 1 club have signed striker Karl Toko Ekambi from Villarreal and are also in talks with Le Havre over their forward Tino Kadewere.

United are on the hunt for a striker in the January transfer window after seeing Marcus Rashford suffer a double stress fracture in the back, an injury which will sideline him for at least six weeks.

Soumare is also on United’s wishlist and could represent a midfield alternative after talks with Sporting CP over Bruno Fernandes hit a roadblock.

Lille’s Boubakary Soumare during a Ligue 1 match against Nimes at Stade Pierre Mauroy

The 20-year-old told L’Equipe that he wants to stay at Lille until the end of the season earlier this week, but Lille are willing to let him go after their Ligue 1 game against Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday.

The France Under-21 international has two and a half years left on his contract at the Stade Pierre Mauroy and has also attracted interest also from Chelsea, Arsenal, Real Madrid and Valencia.

How to follow the January transfer window with Sky Sports

Sky Sports will bring you the very latest news from the January transfer market with the return of three shows.

Start your day with Good Morning Transfers at 9am as our team of reporters bring you the latest news and insight. Transfer Talk then follows at midday delivering analysis of the biggest stories. Then join us at 7pm for the definitive round-up of the day’s news with The Transfer Show.

Meanwhile, the Transfer Talk podcast will also be back at the turn of the year with more expert analysis from here and across the continent.

And as well as tuning into Sky Sports News, don’t miss a thing with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.

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