Manchester United may turn to Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic if they fail to seal a deal for Sporting Lisbon playmaker Bruno Fernandes this summer.
The Red Devils have been linked with Fernandes, the Portugal star, all summer and were understood to be on the brink of completing that move.
However their Premier League rivals Tottenham have now seemingly moved ahead in the race - leaving United with a transfer headache.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is desperate to bolster his midfield ranks and has long been an admirer of Croatian midfield maestro Rakitic, who is valued at £45million by his Spanish employers.
And Mundo Deportivo has claimed that the Red Devils manager may step up his interest if Fernandes opts to reject the Old Trafford club.
United, it is claimed, would rather sign Fernandes but have accepted that he may opt elsewhere, and Rakitic is considered 'Plan B'.
Rakitic, 31, joined Barcelona from Sevilla in 2014 and has helped the Spanish giants to four La Liga titles and a Champions League triumph.
Solskjaer doesn't have much time to tie up any deals as the Premier League transfer window slams shut next Thursday - a decision Solskjaer recently criticised.
"I think we have picked the short straw," the Norwegian told Sky Sports News.
"When we are done and our league starts there are still three more weeks with clubs hovering around your players, I don't think it's a good one for us, no.
"We have been working on a few cases over the summer it's never easy but the club have been good but the market is very hard.
"We are trying to get into the start of the season with the squad we want."
