Manchester United 'to battle Barcelona for Lautaro Martinez'

Manchester United are reportedly in the hunt for Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez.

The Red Devils allowed both Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to leave over the summer without signing replacements, and the team have struggled for goals in the early stages of the 2019-20 campaign.

A new centre-forward is thought to be a priority for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, with Lyon's Moussa Dembele and Red Bull Salzburg's Erling Haaland recently linked with moves.

However, according to FC Inter News, Martinez is also a target for the 20-time English champions, who are preparing to battle Barcelona for the Argentina international's signature.

Barca are thought to view Martinez - said to have a £173m release clause in his current deal with Antonio Conte's side - as a long-term replacement for Luis Suarez.

The 22-year-old has scored six times in 11 appearances for Inter this season, while he has managed 15 goals in 46 outings for the club since arriving from Racing Club in the summer of 2018.

United's problems in the final third of the field have been somewhat eased by the return of Anthony Martial, who scored the only goal of the match against Partizan in the Europa League on Thursday night.