Manchester United 'to offer £45m plus Jesse Lingard for James Maddison'

Manchester United are reportedly preparing to offer Leicester City £45m plus Jesse Lingard in the hope of securing a deal for James Maddison.

The Red Devils are believed to be in the market for a new attacking midfielder, with Lingard, Andreas Pereira and Juan Mata all struggling to impress in that area of the field this season.

According to The Mirror, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is desperate to lure Maddison to Old Trafford, and the 20-time English champions are preparing an offer of £45m plus out-of-form attacker Lingard.

The report claims that United have accepted that they will not be able to sign the 23-year-old during the January transfer window but are confident of securing a deal next summer.

United are allegedly willing to triple Maddison's current pay packet if he moves to Old Trafford, although the club might have to secure a top-four finish in the Premier League or win the Europa League in order to sign the England international at the end of the 2019-20 campaign.

Lingard, meanwhile, has not contributed a single goal or assist in 18 Premier League appearances during the current season, leading to a host of criticism from the club's supporters.