Manchester United are reportedly in a race against time to register Wout Weghorst for Saturday's derby meeting with local rivals Manchester City.

Weghorst has emerged as a leading target for United, who are currently finalising a loan move until the end of the season.

While Erik ten Hag has been pushing to sign his fellow countryman, negotiating a deal has proven to be difficult with three clubs involved in discussions.

Weghorst has been on loan at Besiktas from Burnley this season, where he has scored nine goals and provided four assists in 18 appearances.

The Turkish club's president Ahmet Nur Cebi previously claimed that they would only agree to cut the forward's loan short if they were able to find a suitable replacement.

Weghorst has since terminated his loan deal with Besiktas and has flown to England to complete the move to United.

The striker is said to have travelled by private jet from Istanbul to Manchester on Thursday to undergo a medical, before he signs on loan for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign.

According to the Dail Mail, United are trying to complete the deal in time for Saturday's Manchester derby at Old Trafford.

The report claims that there is a possibility he will be involved against City, but the paperwork must be completed by noon on Friday for him to be eligible to feature in the matchday squad.

Weghorst's involvement would provide United with an alternative option to Anthony Martial, who is expected to lead the line against City.

While the 30-year-old struggled to find his best form for Burnley, scoring two goals and contributing three assists in 20 games, he previously enjoyed success in Germany with Wolfsburg.

Weghorst registered 70 goals and 22 assists across 144 competitive appearances for Wolfsburg, and he also scored a brace for the Netherlands during the 2022 World Cup quarter-final against Argentina.

Ten Hag will have to wait to establish Weghorst's availability, but the United boss is expected to be without the services of Donny Van de Beek, Axel Tuanzebe and Jadon Sancho, while Diogo Dalot is a doubt.

United, who currently sit in fourth position in the Premier League, will move to within one point of second-placed City with a win on Saturday.

Although the Red Devils lost the reverse fixture 6-3, they are currently in impressive form after winning their last eight games in all competitions. body check tags ::