Man Utd could sign £50m-rated star for free in January due to bizarre loophole and he would be perfect for Ruben Amorim

The January transfer window is almost upon us and Manchester United could be forced to bring in reinforcements if Marcus Rashford leaves Old Trafford to find, in his own words, a new opportunity.

Earlier this week, Rashford admitted that he is ready to leave boyhood club United, just days after being left out of Ruben Amorim's matchday squad for the Manchester derby.

"If I know that a situation is already bad I'm not going to make it worse," he said in an interview with Henry Winter. "I've seen how other players have left in the past and I don't want to be that person."

He added: "When I leave I'll make a statement and it will be from me."

United would consider offers of £40 million for Rashford, according to The Daily Mail, who suggest United are looking to raise funds for Amorim to strengthen his squad.

But a potential option in the January transfer window could be Dani Olmo as his uncertain future at Barcelona continues to be a quite remarkable talking point – and it would be a cheap one.

As things stand, Olmo is not eligible to play for Barcelona from the start of next year as his temporary registration expires at the end of 2024.

In short, when the talented attacking midfielder joined from RB Leipzig in the summer for around £50 million, he was unable to be registered because of the club's ongoing financial issues.

He missed Barca's first two matches of the season but after Andreas Christensen picked up a long-term achilles injury, Olmo was registered as an emergency player.

The 26-year-old has notched six goals in 14 games for the Catalan giants but as mentioned earlier, his temporary registration expires at the end of the year, which plunges his future into doubt.

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In fact, Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo say Olmo has a clause in his contract which allows him to leave Barcelona on a free if he is not registered in January, while The Athletic suggest the Spaniard could indeed leave on a free transfer.

Ruben Amorim, meanwhile, has been tasked with 'maximising the untapped potential' of his squad instead of spending large amounts in the window but if Olmo does leave on a free, then United would be foolish to not pursue a move.

As we know, Amorim has generally preferred using one technically proficient No.10 with a more traditional wide attacker behind his striker.

And under Spain boss Luis de la Fuente, the intelligent Olmo has flourished as an advanced No 10. In fact, he scooped the Golden Boot award at Euro 2024 after scoring three goals for La Roja.

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United were linked with a move for the former Dinamo Zagreb man in the summer. Do you think he would be a good addition at Old Trafford? Let us know in the comments.