Manchester United 'considering bid' to hijack Chelsea move for Juan Cuadrado

Manchester United may hijack Chelsea's move for Juan Cuadrado as Louis van Gaal's side are considering launching a bid to Fiorentina to secure the Colombia international before the end of the January transfer window.

On several occasions, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has denied his intention to bolster the squad during the current transfer window but admitted should either Mohamed Salah or Germany international Andre Schurrle leave the west London club, he will have to enter the transfer market to find for a replacement.

Reports in Italy have since claimed the Portuguese boss has earmarked the 26-year-old Fiorentina winger as his top target.

Last week, Chelsea were said to have made an official bid of £20.6m for the winger, which was immediately rejected as the Serie A side were unwilling to negotiate a deal below his £26m release clause.

La Gazetta dello Sport now claims the Blues are not likely to meet his buyout clause at any point but are ready to improve their bid by offering £20m plus Salah as part of the deal.

However, the Italian newspaper said Chelsea may face fresh competition from their Manchester rivals.

United were heavily linked with a move for Cuadrado last summer, since Van Gaal was looking for a versatile player to feature on the right-wing of his 3-4-3 formation.

The Premier League giants failed to close a deal with Fiorentina but La Gazzetta dello Sport claimed Van Gaal's side may renew their efforts and are willing to launch a £21m bid, while also including the loan of Adnan Januzaj.

Nevertheless, the Italian newspaper claims Fiorentina remain firm in their intention not to negotiate the winger's departure and will tell Chelsea and United to meet Cuadrado's £26m release clause or forget about signing him.