Manchester United will not pay over the odds for new signings.

The Daily Mail says Lyon striker Moussa Dembele, 23, is believed be on United's wishlist but the club are prepared to wait to sign him rather than pay the French club's asking price of £71million which would smack of a panic buy.

They are also reluctant to rip up their plans and change targets in January as a knee-jerk reaction to them becoming available.

Insiders say they have learned how Liverpool waited six months to sign Virgil van Dijk rather than splash their money on an inferior player in the interim to help a leaky defence.