Manchester United 'tried to sign Mario Mandzukic on deadline day'

Manchester United made a last-ditch attempt to sign outgoing Juventus forward Mario Mandzukic on deadline day, according to a report.

The Red Devils had already let Romelu Lukaku depart for Inter Milan, and knew that Alexis Sanchez would soon be following the Belgian to the San Siro.

Tuttosport report that United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a personal phone call to the Croatian in an attempt to convince the 33-year-old to come to Old Trafford.

The move, however, failed to materialise, leaving Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial as United's only senior options upfront until January at the earliest.

Mandzukic is one of a number of players that Juventus have been desperate to get rid of in order to reduce a huge wage bill in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo signing in 2018. The ex-Bayern man has scored in Champions League and World Cup finals, but alongside Emre Can has been left out of Maurizio Sarri's Champions League squad.

The United summer target is now expected to join Qatari side Al-Gharafa, having also been heavily linked with Bob Bradley's Los Angeles FC.