Manchester United have made a shock bid for former Stoke City striker Marko Arnautovic who currently plays for Serie A club Bologna.

United manager Erik ten Hag is still keen to strengthen his attacking options before the transfer window closes on September 1.

Speculation still surrounds the future of Cristiano Ronaldo after he informed the club he wanted to leave earlier this summer.

Marko Arnautovic during his time at Stoke City

However, it looks increasingly likely he will stay for the final year of his contract.

Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani left United on a free transfer, while Anthony Martial missed the opening game of the season through injury, leaving them short up front.

And according to a surprise report in The Athletic claims the Red Devils have submitted a £6.75m [€8m] bid to try and entice Arnautovic back to the Premier League.

The 33-year-old is currently at Bologna, where he scored 14 goals in 33 games last season.

He has played 184 Premier League games across spells at Stoke and West Ham, scoring 43 goals, before leaving the Hammers in July 2019 to join Shanghai Port.

Arnautovic has previously worked with both Ten Hag and his Man United assistant Steve McClaren, when McClaren was the manager and Ten Hag was his assistant at Dutch outfit FC Twente.

Arnautovic coincidentally is managed by former Red Devils interim boss Ralf Rangnick at international level, after he took the Austria job this summer.

The forward is said to be keen on a move to Old Trafford and could force an exit from Bologna.