Manchester United finalising personal terms to sign 26-year-old forward who has scored twice already at AFCON: Reports

Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Mali centre-forward Lassine Sinayoko. They are looking to reach a pre-agreement with him in January for a potential summer move on a free transfer.

Sinayoko, 26, came through French side Auxerre's academy and has made 159 senior appearances for them, recording 25 goals and 23 assists. He has also earned 26 caps for Mali at the time of writing, scoring eight goals and providing one assist. He has scored one goal each in their 1-1 draws against Zambia and Morocco at the ongoing AFCON 2025-26 group stage.

As per Africa Foot, Manchester United are interested in signing Sinayoko in the summer. His contract with Auxerre expires at the end of this season. Hence, the Premier League giants are looking to finalize personal terms with him in January. They have reportedly offered him a salary worth €3 million per year.

As per Africa Foot, the Red Devils are close to reaching an agreement with the Mali international. Newcastle United were also interested in signing Sinayoko in the summer. However, they ended up signing Nick Woltemade from VfB Stuttgart instead.

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Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim hails his side's together after Newcastle win

The Red Devils beat Newcastle United 1-0 at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, i.e., December 26, in the Premier League. Patrick Dorgu scored via an excellent strike in the 24th minute. The visitors pushed for an equalizer in the second half but were unable to find one.

Manchester United had just 34% possession and recorded 10 attempts, with three being on target. Newcastle, meanwhile, made 13 attempts, with just two being on target. After the game, Ruben Amorim spoke about his side's togetherness, saying (h/t manutd.com):

"We played two games in one. We had to suffer, all together, in the stadium and in the game. It was really difficult for us. We did good in the first half but, in the second half, we just defend and try to do something with [Matheus] Cunha. We had our opportunities with transitions but it was a good win. I had so many games here, saying we played really well but didn't get the three points. Today was the opposite. We suffered together and managed to win the game."

Manchester United are fifth in the Premier League standings ahead of the remaining fixtures for the gameweek. They will next face bottom-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford on December 30.

Edited by Aditya Singh