Takefusa Kubo is being considered by Manchester United for a January move.

Takefusa Kubo, an attacker for Real Sociedad, is supposedly someone Manchester United could pursue when the January transfer market opens.

Beginning in 2024, Jadon Sancho is scheduled to depart Old Trafford, which means the Red Devils will most likely need to find a replacement.

According to reports, Man United’s January budget will increase with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s entry as a minority shareholder. The team is reportedly getting ready to spend following a challenging start to the season.

At the beginning of the new year, the 20-time English champions are anticipated to pursue a new attacker, and journalist Ekrem Konur reports that Kubo is a real target for the team.

In addition, Konur says that Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United are closely monitoring his Real Sociedad play in preparation for any January offers.

Kubo was a well-known player for Barcelona’s academy from 2011 to 2015, but he was later declared ineligible when the Catalan team was found to have broken FIFA’s international transfer policy. As a result, he returned to Japan with FC Tokyo.

The 22-year-old eventually signed a permanent deal with Real Sociedad in 2022 after spending time on loan with Mallorca, Villarreal, and Getafe. The 22-year-old returned to Europe with Real Madrid in 2019, although he did not play for Los Blancos.

In 60 appearances across all competitions for his current team, Kubo has tallied 14 goals and 12 assists, including five goals and three assists in 16 games this season.

In 12 La Liga games, the Japan international has scored five goals and supplied two assists. In four Champions League games, he has only contributed one assist.

Although Kubo’s contract with Real Sociedad is scheduled to expire in June 2027, it is believed that a €60 million (£52 million) release clause has been added to the deal.

Prior to their most recent match, Barcelona’s head coach Xavi described the attacker as “a footballer of a very high level” and referred to him as “one of the most important players at Real Sociedad”.

Real Sociedad will vehemently oppose any interest in him in January, but if Man United were to pay the buy-out clause in his contract, the club would find itself in a challenging situation.

With 28 caps for Japan, Kubo finished the 2022–2023 season with nine goals and nine assists in 44 games for his Basque team in all competitions. In the Europa League, he played against Manchester United.