Manchester United are ready to make an opening offer for PSV Eindhoven attacker Cody Gakpo.

The Telegraph says United are moving ahead in their search to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, as the club prepare a €50 million (£43.1 million) bid for Gakpo.

Erik ten Hag confirmed last week that the Red Devils would look to offset Ronaldo's acrimonious departure in the January transfer window and Gakpo has emerged as their top target. United were interested in the 23-year-old Dutch forward over the summer but ultimately decided to focus their efforts of signing Ajax winger Antony, who Ten Hag had previously worked with, for £87.1m.

The United hierarchy are willing to back Ten Hag, who's impressed club chiefs in his first season at the helm and wants to pursue Gakpo in January.

The Netherlands international was the subject of bids from Leeds and Southampton during the summer transfer window but opted to stay at boyhood club PSV Eindhoven and work under new manager Ruud van Nistelrooy. However, after scoring three goals for Holland as they reached the World Cup quarter-finals, PSV are now braced for his departure next month.

But he won't come cheap, as the Eredivisie giants' sporting director, Marcel Brands, confirmed that a fee high enough to prise Gakpo away from the Philips Stadium "must be a (club) record".