Jose Mourinho watched potential transfer target Emil Forsberg during Sweden's win over Italy

Jose Mourinho's search for a wide attacking player continues ahead of the upcoming January transfer window, with Red Bull Leipzig's Emil Forsberg being the latest player on the Manchester United manager's radar.

The Portuguese coach has been desperate to add a left winger to his squad since the summer but failed with a move to bring Inter Milan's Ivan Perisic owing to the Italian clubs hefty demands. Mourinho is keen to add more creativity and attacking potency to his team and is keen for a player who can provide assists from the wide areas.

According to the Daily Mail, the Red Devils boss was checking up on Forsberg during Sweden's World Cup qualifiers first-leg playoff win over Italy with a view to a potential move in the future. The Red Bull Leipzig midfielder put in a man of the match performance which is certain to have caught Mourinho's eye.

Forsberg has been impressive since joining Leipzig in 2015 and played a key role in helping the team finish second in the Bundesliga last season and qualify for the Champions League for the first time in the club's relatively short history – they were founded only in 2009.

The Sweden international provided 22 assists and scored eight goals in 30 league appearances and his impressive showing caught the attention of clubs across Europe. United were linked with a move for Forsberg during the summer transfer window, as were Premier League rivals Arsenal.

Leipzig however were adamant that he was not for sale and made it clear that they will not entertain any bids for the midfielder. Forsberg's agent Hasan Cetinkaya accused the club of 'destroying his client's dreams' after indicating that he was keen to leave the club amid interest from some of the top clubs in Europe.

The Swede is contracted to the Bundesliga highflyers until 2022 and that means the club will have the final say in terms of his future. Leipzig will nose key midfielder Naby Keita in the summer after agreeing a deal with Liverpool, and his exit could see Forsberg push again if United or Arsenal make their interest concrete.