Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is reportedly keen to lure Marseille midfielder Benoit Cheyrou and Bordeaux hitman Marouane Chamakh to Old Trafford in January.

Reports emanating from France suggest that Ferguson is weighing up bids for the duo having received glowing reports on their progress for the Ligue 1 giants so far this season.

Red Devils scouts were believed to have been in attendence at the Stade Gerland to watch Cheyrou, younger brother of former Liverpool midfielder Bruno, in action during l'OM's thrilling 5-5 draw with Lyon last weekend.

The 28-year-old defensive midfielder has a contract at the Stade Velodrome until 2013, but Marseille boss Dider Deschamps could look to cash in on the player to fund prospective targets in January.

Meanwhile, Ferguson was said to have been impressed with Chamakh's performances against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League recently - in which the Moroccon scored in the 2-0 win at the Allianz Arena last week.

The 25-year-old is out of contract at the Stade Chaban Delmas at the end of the season and was strongly linked with moves to Arsenal and West Ham in the summer, but Fergie could now swoop to land the classy striker in the New Year.

The United chief is believed to be ready to splash the cash in January as he looks to add some firepower to his uncharacteristically shot-shy squad, with the Premier League champions scoring just 23 goals in 12 league games so far this season.