Manchester United have reportedly earmarked Lyon forward Moussa Dembele as a top January transfer target in a bid to solve their attacking problems.

The Red Devils allowed both Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to depart during the summer, leaving Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and teenager Mason Greenwood as their only options up front.

Rashford and Martial are both currently sidelined, while Greenwood missed United's last league game, forcing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to play Jesse Lingard up front in their defeat to West Ham United.

The 20-time English champions are expected to bolster their attack when the transfer window reopens, and the Daily Mail reports that they have been keeping tabs on Dembele.

United are understood to have sent scouts to watch the former Celtic striker in his last three games and have been impressed by the Frenchman, with Dembele topping the Ligue 1 scoring charts so far this season having scored with all six of his shots on target.

Dembele is not automatic first choice at Lyon due to the presence of former United man Memphis Depay, though, and Solskjaer is hopeful that might aid their pursuit in January.

However, Lyon are unlikely to welcome an approach for the 23-year-old, who has previously played in the Premier League for Fulham.

United have failed to score more than one goal in a game since the opening match of the season, most recently needing penalties to scrape past League One Rochdale in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.