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Manchester United could clean house in January after a report revealed they will listen to offers for five first-team stars including club-record signing, Paul Pogba.

Manchester United’s summer window was dominated by three high-profile arrivals. Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo all signed to give their squad a sprinkling or stardust.

Deals in the opposite direction for established stars, however, were scarce. Indeed, just Sergio Romero and Daniel James left the club permanently of those who had played for the senior side before.

However, according to Football Insider, United could make up for lost time in a big way come January.

They state five major names could be part of an exodus as the club look to clean house. In their words, they ‘plan to listen to offers’ for each of the quintet.

Each of the stars has reportedly been told ‘they can leave either on loan or permanently’ – providing suitable offers are lodged, of course.

Of the five, goalkeeper Dean Henderson is the one they would apparently prefer to keep on their books. That would therefore make a loan exit his only option, and Newcastle have regularly been linked with the stopper.

The other four – Phil Jones, Donny Van de Beek, Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard – are all reportedly up for sale.

Pogba and Lingard are in the final years of their contracts at Old Trafford. That makes the winter window the last opportunity to recoup a fee for the talented 28-year-old pair. A damning report from the Telegraph regarding United’s handling of Lingard has fuelled the exit fires in his regard.

Van de Beek’s inclusion on the list is something of a surprise. While the Dutchman has rarely featured under Solskjaer, he still has nearly four years plus an option for a further 12 months on his contract. And if Pogba were to leave, United would risk being caught short in central midfield if Van de Beek left too.

Jones, meanwhile, has been featuring for the club’s Under-23s in the Premier League 2 this season. The veteran centre-half is slowly making his way back from a 20-month injury lay-off.

Solskjaer’s switch to a three-man backline did suggest Jones may have a part to play in the first-team as a depth piece. But if that system is abandoned, Jones’ chances of attaining regular action at Old Trafford will plummet.

Newcastle had drawn links with the 29-year-old during the summer. Though given their recent cash injection, they may now be looking at more high-profile options instead.

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Lingard to West Ham quickly gathers steam

Meanwhile, David Moyes’ insistence that West Ham have “moved on” from Jesse Lingard may be a simple smokescreen after a report insisted a deal for the Manchester United winger is very much on.

And Moyes’ comments on Friday suggested the Hammers wouldn’t be involved in any transfer scramble.

“He is a Manchester United player and I am not going to talk about players at other clubs. We enjoyed having Jesse and he made a great contribution to the team but we have moved on,” he said via football.london.

However, a report from the Sun has suggested the Scot’s comments are masking West Ham’s true intentions.

They state Lingard ‘looks to be on his way to West Ham in the new year’. On the agenda is reportedly a ‘£10m’ transfer. Given his sparkling form last season, such a small fee would represent a bargain for the Londoners.

Adding further weight to the story is their claim the player himself has mobilised to drive the move. Lingard is claimed to have ‘already begun making personal arrangements for his permanent move’ back to West Ham.

Lingard then stoked the fires further by reposting a video of him scoring for West Ham on his Instagram story.

PREDICTIONS: Liverpool too good for Arsenal; Solskjaer respite at Watford; Tottenham v Leeds humdinger

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