Arsenal set to offer £17 million to hijack Man United target in January, Erik ten Hag will be furious

Manchester United are already plotting January reinforcements - but Erik ten Hag's side could face a blow in their search for another striker after Arsenal joined the race for Santos striker Marcos Leonardo.

United sought a new centre forward over the summer and the Old Trafford side were able to bring in Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta for a reported £64 million transfer fee.

Several names were linked with a switch to United over the summer, including Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane who ended up moving to Bayern Munich, and Victor Osimhen of Napoli.

Hojlund was injured for the first few weeks of his time at United and has only found the back of the net once so far since his summer switch.

But with United struggling to find the back of the net with any regularity so far this season, it is no surprise to see Ten Hag's side linked with further fresh striking options.

Santos striker Leonardo has been mentioned as being a target of United after the 20-year-old's good form for the Brazilian side.

Leonardo has scored 17 goals in 36 games in all competitions so far this campaign, and has found the back of the net on 50 occasions in 155 outings for Santos, while he has been capped for Brazil up to under-23 level.

However, United may not have it all their own way when it comes to the pursuit.

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According to Fichajes, Arsenal have stepped up their interest in the 20-year-old and are lining up a €20 million offer plus bonuses to Santos for the Brazilian's services from the start of January.

Both United and Italian side Roma have had the forward on their radar, but it appears the Gunners have joined the race for Leonardo's signature and potentially swoop in ahead of the Old Trafford side to boost their own striking ranks and potentially deal a blow to their Premier League rivals.