Manchester United have reportedly suffered a major blow in their pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain's Randal Kolo Muani, with Aston Villa potentially emerging as the favourites for the France international.
PSG are believed to be determined to land Jhon Duran from Villa, with a transfer potentially taking place before the end of the January transfer window, which could see Kolo Muani move in the opposite direction.
According to the Daily Mail, PSG are confident that they can convince Villa to let Duran leave, but Villa are likely to insist that Kolo Muani is included in the switch, which could see Man United miss out on the Frenchman.
The report claims that Villa value Duran in the region of £80m, with the 21-year-old in excellent form this season, scoring 12 goals in 26 appearances, including seven goals in 18 outings in England's top flight.
Kolo Muani is Man United's leading attacking target this month, with Sporting Lisbon's Viktor Gyokeres out of reach in January, and the Red Devils are allegedly doing "everything possible" to sign the 26-year-old.
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Villa 'could beat Man United' to Kolo Muani deal
The forward has found it difficult to make his mark for PSG during the 2024-25 campaign, only managing two goals and one assist in 14 appearances in all competitions.
In total, Kolo Muani has 11 goals and seven assists in 54 matches for his current club, but he managed 26 goals and 17 assists in 50 appearances during an impressive spell at Eintracht Frankfurt.
Man United are said to have seriously considered signing the attacker in the summer of 2023 but instead focused on Rasmus Hojlund, with the Denmark international arriving from Atalanta BC.
The Red Devils are believed to be looking to loan Kolo Muani for the second half of the season, with the club then having the option to make the deal permanent during this summer's transfer window.
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Which other clubs are keen on Kolo Muani?
Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus and AC Milan are also believed to be interested in Kolo Muani, with a number of clubs battling for his signature during the January transfer window.
The Frenchman has struggled to make his mark in Paris, but he showed his class at Frankfurt, and his pace and power would be a serious asset to a number of teams in the second half of the campaign.
Juventus and Milan are both being linked with Man United's Marcus Rashford, and there are a number of moving parts at this stage of the window, with one major switch potentially opening the door for more to follow over the next couple of weeks.
Matt Law
