United are light on top-class talents in attacking midfield, with Andreas Pereira yet to grasp his chance, Jesse Lingard’s form over the last 12 months woeful, Juan Mata’s powers waning and Angel Gomes set to depart on a free transfer in the summer after rejecting a new contract.
The Red Devils have been linked with a host of attack-minded midfielders in the past year, including the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen and more recently Maddison and Jack Grealish.
And the Evening Standard report that it is Maddison who tops their list of targets as they seek to add some much-needed vision and innovation into their team.
Yet Solskjaer is said to be aware that he will not be available until the end of the season, with the 23-year-old a pivotal member of the Leicester team that currently sits second in the Premier League and is a comfortable 14 points clear of fifth place as they seek a Champions League berth.
The former Norwich City creator has gone up another level again this term, producing nine goals and three assists in 23 appearances across all competitions.
His first season with the Foxes saw him provide seven goals and seven assists across 38 games.
Having become a fully-fledged England international, Maddison is highly likely to take part in Euro 2020 in the summer.
But the midfielder’s importance to Brendan Rodgers’ high-flying Foxes means it would take a gigantic fee to prise him away in the summer, never mind January.
And Rodgers has publicly ruled out midseason departures, saying: “There will be nobody leaving in January, categorically. It is really clear, we want to keep this squad together.
“It is an exciting team with growth and development in it, so we want to ensure they stay around beyond January.”
The Standard’s same report insists the club’s hierarchy will not be rushed into panic buys in January.
And that seems to suggest that rather than seek a cheaper alternative to Maddison, United will hold out until the summer to sign their first choice target.
That does not kill the possibility of midfield additions in the winter window, however, with Solskjaer also looking at signing players to play deeper.
Among the other midfielders targeted by United include Juventus’ Emre Can, Declan Rice of West Ham and Newcastle ace Sean Longstaff, who was tipped for a £50million move to Old Trafford in the summer.
Solskjaer, speaking after a New Year’s Day defeat to Arsenal, said of United’s plans: “You can see the squad and sometimes you think, yeah, one or two additions would do nicely because we are building towards something.
“It just depends on if what we think will be right for us will be available.
“Of course it’s playing on our decision-making when we’ve got two players out for a bit, Scott for two months and Paul for a month.
“That gives us less options and we have loads of games and important games.
“But it still has to be right and that’s the big point here, if someone is available and something is possible we’ll do it. We’re looking at one or two.”