Journalist Samuel Luckhurst has lambasted Manchester United's reported interest in Marko Arnautovic, describing it as a 'scandalous' piece of prospective transfer business.

The Lowdown: Man United linked with Arnautovic

The Red Devils were beaten 2-1 at home by Brighton in their Premier League opener on Sunday, in what was a nightmare first competitive game under Erik ten Hag.

On the same day, United were also linked with a surprise move for Arnautovic, reportedly seeing a £7.6m bid rejected by his current club Bologna.

It is a piece of news which hasn't gone down well with many supporters, once again putting the club's transfer business under the spotlight.

Taking to Twitter, Luckhurst made his feelings clear, slamming United's potential signing of Arnautovic.

The reporter fumed:

"That #mufc are open to signing Arnautovic is scandalous. Ighalo was supposed to be a one-off yet, two-and-a-half years later, they are looking to sign an older forward who's been playing in China. In a summer the squad is being 'rebuilt'. They are insulting supporters."

The Verdict: Woeful transfer business

Luckhurst has every right to feel this way, as do United fans in general, with Arnautovic someone whose arrival would sum up the club's recent failings in the transfer market.

At 33, the Austrian doesn't remotely represent the future and he would feel like another desperate quick fix, rather than someone with long-term potential.

Furthermore, his attitude has come into question many times in the past, which could upset any harmony within Ten Hag's squad. As it is, the club has had issues with dressing room unrest in the very recent past, so adding someone who could compound this would appear to defy logic.

It is a concerning piece of transfer news from a United perspective, especially at a time when rivals Manchester City and Liverpool have signed Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez respectively - prolific young attacking talents with big futures ahead of them.