Manchester United made late move to sign World Cup finalist

Manchester United are reported to have made a last-ditch attempt to secure the services of Mario Mandzukic from Juventus during the summer transfer window.

The Red Devils were looking in a replacement for Romelu Lukaku on Premier League deadline-day and it has been revealed that Mandzukic was the prime target on their radar.

According to Tuttosport, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made a personal call to the 2018 World Cup finalist in order to convince him to come to Old Trafford.

However, the move did not materialise as planned and this has left the Red Devils with just two senior strikers in the form of Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

Mandzukic is no longer regarded as a key member of the Bianconeri and he was recently omitted from the Champions League squad alongside midfielder Emre Can.

At present, the Croatian has been offered a route to the Middle East with Qatari side Al-Gharafa and it is still unclear whether he would take up the challenge.