Manchester United want to sign Wout Weghorst for Saturday’s Manchester derby

Manchester United are scrambling to register Wout Weghorst in time for Saturday’s derby at Old Trafford after a deal was agreed to keep the Dutch forward signed for the remainder of the season.

Weghorst’s loan move needs to be completed by midday on Friday so he can make his United debut at home against Manchester City at lunchtime.

The 30-year-old flew to Manchester from Istanbul on a private jet on Thursday to complete his medical treatment and United sources say that while it’s possible he’ll play on Saturday, it’s not certain.

Man United are struggling to register Wout Weghorst in time for Saturday’s Manchester derby

They need to complete his forthcoming loan move by midday on Friday for him to be eligible to play against City

Weghorst has been cleared to leave Besiktas – where he spent the first half of the season on loan from Burnley – after United agreed to pay the Turkish club £2.5m in compensation to sever the existing agreement.

The former Wolfsburg and AZ Alkmaar striker has scored nine goals in 18 games for Besiktas and scored twice for Holland in last month’s World Cup quarter-finals against Argentina.

United manager Erik ten Hag took aim at his compatriot following Cristiano Ronaldo’s acrimonious departure from Old Trafford and amid problems with Jadon Sancho’s form and fitness.

Weghorst is expected to join Erik ten Hags Man United by the end of the season

Weghorst was previously filmed arriving at an Istanbul airport ahead of his trip to Manchester

Weghorst will become United’s second signing of the January transfer window after goalkeeper Jack Butland was loaned out from Crystal Palace.

It’s believed Ten Hag could try to sign another striker before the deadline depending on United players going on loan, but sources say that’s unlikely.

The striker was filmed arriving at a Turkish airport before boarding his private plane to take him to Manchester on Thursday.

Sportsmail reported earlier this week that an agreement had been reached between the two clubs, but there was some uncertainty as to whether the payment would go through Weghorst’s parent club, Burnley.

It has now been revealed that United will pay the compensation fee directly to Besiktas in order to complete the transfer.

This news follows a report from the Turkish outlet fanaticism claims the forward has already packed his bags ahead of his United move after being left out of Besiktas’ squad for Saturday’s league game.

Wout Weghorst appears to have played his last game for Besiktas after scoring nine goals in 18 games

Besiktas are due to travel to Konyaspor this weekend but Turkey’s side have decided to leave the striker out of their travel group.

His availability on Saturday could also be determined by his fitness after the Dutch striker missed Wednesday’s training session after complaining of groin pain, which may have made some United fans concerned about his fitness ahead of joining the club has.

However, he was still able to complete a personalized session at the gym and it now appears that it was only a minor issue.

Weghorst bid farewell to Besiktas supporters on Saturday after scoring the winning goal in the league game against Kasimpasa.

This now looks likely to be his final contribution to the club as he is set to return to England just six months after leaving the country following Burnley’s relegation from the top flight last season.

The hulking forward has excelled during his time in Turkey, scoring nine goals and providing four assists in 18 games for Besiktas.

He averaged 3.3 shots and 1.1 key passes per game as confirmed by SofaScore, which underscores his impact on games.

He continued his fine form at the World Cup, scoring twice for the Netherlands in the ill-tempered quarter-final against Argentina before the South American nation advanced on penalties.

Weghorst will now have a chance to improve on his Premier League record of scoring just two goals in 20 games for Burnley last season before the Clarets dropped to the Championship.