The Senegalese striker, 21, is attending a medical at Old Trafford next week, and the deal will go through right away should he pass.

United plan to loan Diouf out to his current club for the next four months, and he should join the Premiership champions in January.

"We've been looking at him for two years," United coach Alex Ferguson told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

"We weren't intending on signing anyone else after (Gabriel Obertan) last week - we feel we have a full squad - but the situation accelerated to a point where other clubs started to make bids, so we had a decision to make.

"We decided to act now and he’ll be the last person we sign this summer."

Diouf notched 38 goals in 73 appearances for Molde, the club from which United signed retired star Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 1996.