Man Utd could miss out on £35m transfer target as rival club plots double swoop

Manchester United want to sign a striker in the summer transfer window and Chelsea wantaway Christopher Nkunku is on their shortlist - as well as that of Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich are targeting two Chelsea players in a potential blow to Manchester United's transfer plans. German giants Bayern have identified Christopher Nkunku and Renato Veiga after missing out on £69million-rated Stuttgart star Nick Woltemade.

Mirror Football reported earlier this week that Nkunku, 27, is on United's shortlist as they look to sign a striker this summer. Ruben Amorim's side were left gutted when they lost the race for Liam Delap to Chelsea earlier in the window and now look set to miss out on Arsenal-bound Viktor Gyokeres.

Chelsea have quoted United a £35m asking price for Nkunku, with the Blues looking to trim their squad. Should the Red Devils act on their interest, however, they'd face competition from Bayern.

The Athletic claim that the Bundesliga champions are keen to bring in a forward after failing to agree a deal for Woltemade coupled with attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala's horrific leg injury which he suffered at the Club World Cup. Bayern legend Thomas Muller has also left the Allianz Arena upon the expiry of his contract.

But they also want a centre-back and have identified Veiga, who spent the second half of last season on loan with Juventus, as a candidate. That's despite signing Germany international Jonathan Tah on a free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen.

Chelsea want to raise funds after being hit with a huge £78.5m fine from UEFA for breaching spending rules. Most of the fine (£51m) is suspended but the Blues still have to comply with UEFA's rules and are planning a clear-out once their Club World Cup campaign comes to an end.

Veiga, who played for Portugal when they won the Nations League last month, wasn't included in Enzo Maresca's squad for the ongoing tournament. The 21-year-old joined Chelsea from Swiss heavyweights Basel last summer for £12m, having come through the ranks at Sporting Lisbon.

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Bayern are familiar with Veiga thanks to his loan spell with Bavarian neighbours Augsburg in the 2022-23 season. They're also well acquainted with Nkunku, who took the Bundesliga by storm at RB Leipzig after leaving Paris Saint-Germain.

The Frenchman scored 70 goals and provided 56 assists in 172 appearances for the east German side, playing in a variety of positions. That convinced Chelsea to stump up £52m, although injuries have stunted his progress at Stamford Bridge and he's been unable to carve out a starting place amid their gluttony of attacking talent.