Manchester United transfer news: Franck Kessie on radar amid interest from other Premier League clubs, says his agent

20-year-old Kessie has been selected for the Ivory Coast's African Cup of Nations campaign but is still a transfer target for United, according to his agent George Atangana

Atalanta defender Franck Kessie is wanted by Manchester United, according to his agent (Getty)

Atalanta midfielder Franck Kessie is a transfer target for Manchester United as well as other leading English sides, according to his agent.

The 20-year-old will head to Gabon next month for the African Cup of Nations after being named in the Ivory Coast squad alongside current United defender Eric Bailly, and the highly-rated youngster has already won 20 caps for his country since making his debut at the age of 17.

United’s defence has been an area of concern this season, with injuries suffered by Bailly, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones while Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind struggled to make an impression at the start of the season.

And while Jones and Rojo have shown a remarkable resurgence over the last month to secure the two centre-back berths in Jose Mourinho’s first team, it appears the manager still wants to reinforce his back line either in January or the summer.

After ending their interest in 22-year-old Benfica defender Victor Lindelof, it appears that United have turned their attentions to Atlanta’s Kessie, according to his agent George Atangana.

"We have a lot of interest from the Premier League. Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal,” Atangana said on Thursday.

"I cannot say at this stage how much he will cost but we are talking about one of the best young players in the world.

"But for us the most important thing is that the technical project is the right one for him. Franck is very, young so we have to be very careful about his development."

United’s interest in Sweden international Lindelof ended this week after it emerged that the centre-back was poised to sign a new contract with the Portuguese side, which will result in his release clause increasing from €30m to €50m – enough to scare United off a deal in the coming months.

Kessie will head to Gabon with the Ivory Coast in January for the African Cup of Nations (Getty)

But Mourinho is still keen to bring in at least one new signing in the January window, with a number of faces expected to leave the club after failing to make an impression since Mourinho’s arrival in the summer. Both Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay are expected to move away from Old Trafford on permanent deals, while Bastian Schweinsteiger could also leave the club after being exiled from the first-team squad for the first three months of the season.

Rojo was another who was expected to be made available, but his sudden up-turn in form could see him survive the cull with United now on a run of five consecutive victories and a 11-match unbeaten streak in all competitions.