Man Utd news: Antoine Semenyo talks begin as Ruben Amorim suffers transfer setback

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Manchester United are gearing up for an exciting January transfer window as Ruben Amorim looks to make some changes to his squad. United have had a mixed first half of the season, currently sitting seventh in the table and three points off the Champions League places.

The 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on the weekend summed up their season-long frailties. And if losing three players to the Africa Cup of Nations wasn't a major blow already, Amorim has now been left without his captain Bruno Fernandes .

He pulled up with a hamstring injury in the first half of the Villa defeat. United were expected to address their issues in midfield even before reports emerged claiming Fernandes could be out for at least a month .

Mirror Football now takes a look at the players the Old Trafford side have been linked with ahead of January, with talks opening for one, a setback emerging for another, and a third being suggested by a club legend.

United are unlikely to land Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson in the January transfer window . The club hierarchy are keen to overhaul the midfield in the coming windows after using last summer to splurge on forward signings.

Anderson, who has impressed in recent months on his way to becoming an England starter, is one player who has caught United's eye. But The Athletic's David Ornstein told NBC Sports this week that United will not pull off the transfer in the coming weeks.

That’s because Forest do not want to let the player, who is under contract until 2029, leave while he is still not agitating for a move. The situation could change in the summer if United come in with a bid in the region of £80-£100million, once they free up some salary space.

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United legends Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt have called on the club to go back to their old ways by "bullying" Premier League teams and buying their best players. Speaking about potential midfield signings, Butt told The Good The Bad and The Football podcast that Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers should be brought to Old Trafford, despite his side sitting comfortably ahead of United in the table after he scored a brace against them.

Butt said: “Realistic one if Man United go back to bullying teams and buying their best players. I don’t mean Arsenal or City but those next ones down which we always used to do, they used to go to Tottenham and get their best player, Morgan Rogers go and get him. Play him wherever, he’s better than what we’ve got at the moment.”

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Scholes chimed in: “Nicky’s got a good point. We got Dwight Yorke, the best player from Aston Villa, Teddy Sherringham, Robin van Persie from Arsenal. We used to go and get their best players. I’m not sure we’re in that position at the minute.”

United and neighbours City have reportedly entered talks with Antoine Semenyo’s camp over a potential January move for the player. Both Manchester clubs, as well as Liverpool and Chelsea , are interested in signing the in-form Bournemouth sensation, who has taken the league by storm.

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Semenyo has a £65m release clause in his contract which expires on January 10, meaning there is a race between England’s top clubs to secure his signature in the next two weeks. It was reported on Tuesday afternoon that United, City and Chelsea had made contact with Semenyo to discuss conditions of a potential deal.

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