Manchester United could be in for a busy January as Jose Mourinho makes moves for two defenders to shore up his injury-stricken back four.

Chris Smalling is still out with a foot injury, while Eric Bailly, who isn’t expected to be out for too long with his latest knee injury, will be unavailable for the majority of January as he will be with the Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations.

And he and Ed Woodward have reportedly already made moves to combat this, with Portuguese outlet Ojogo.pt claiming Benfica defender Victor Lindelof is on the verge of a transfer to Old Trafford.

They say Benfica’s president has flown to England for talks with United over a £38m deal for the 22-year-old Sweden defender.

United are also keeping tabs on Roma’s Antonio Rudiger according to The Sun, but face stiff competition from Antonio Conte for the 23-year-old German international.

Both clubs are looking to take advantage of Roma’s difficult financial position and could prize Rudiger away with a cut-price deal.

However, there are also expected to be outgoings from Old Trafford with Marouane Fellaini considering a move to Italy, according to the Daily Mail.

The Belgian was spotted in Milan on Monday with his twin brother after Fellaini reportedly discussed a switch to either Inter or AC Milan with his United teammates.

Depay hasn't scored in the league since last November (Getty)

Another player who could be on his way out of the club is Memphis Depay, who has failed to impress since joining the club for £25m in the summer of 2015.