Manchester United is keen to acquire a new striker this summer, broadening their prospects beyond players like Viktor Gyokeres and Liam Delap.
With the transfer window approaching, Gyokeres has become a prominent figure due to his impressive tally of 52 goals for Sporting CP. The presence of Ruben Amorim in Manchester makes it an appealing choice for the Swede, though competition is expected to be intense.
Following Ipswich Town’s relegation, Delap is available for a set fee of £30m. He is considered a different kind of prospect, being more raw and underdeveloped.
Moise Kean is not a name that has been linked with United before, but the former Juventus, Everton and Paris Saint-Germain forward has become a figure of interest after getting his career back on track since joining Fiorentina last summer.
Only Atalanta’s Mateo Retegui (24) has scored more goals in Serie A than Kean (17) this season, and Foot Mercato claims that Manchester United have added the Italian to their list of options.
Kean was earmarked as a superstar of the future when he debuted for Juventus at the age of 16 almost nine years ago. His time at Everton during the Covid-19-plagued 2019/20 season was a bit of a disaster and it has taken him until now to really find his feet and thrive.
The 25-year-old is said to have a €50m (£42.5m) release clause in his Fiorentina contract that is active during the first two weeks of July. But Bayern Munich are described in the aforementioned report as also “closely monitoring” Kean, while he has recently been linked with Barcelona in the past.
Kean appears to be an option of middle-ground compromise for United, more proven and experienced than Delap, but more affordable than Gyokeres, particularly if the club doesn’t qualify for next season’s Champions League by winning the Europa League later this month.
But if Gyokeres is the ideal in the event of a Champions League injection, Victor Osimhen is another who remains an alternative for Manchester United.
The Nigerian’s career has taken a slightly curious path since he fired Napoli to Serie A glory in 2022/23, falling out with the club and spending this season on loan with Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig, after it looked for much of last summer as though a Saudi Pro League move was on the cards.
Osimhen has scored 33 goals in all competitions for Galatasaray, officially now the most prolific season of his career to date, with Foot Mercato alleging that United representatives have very recently met with his entourage. He is claimed to be “very interested” in a switch to Old Trafford, but will likely cost up to €75m (£64m) and therefore isn’t going to be a cheap acquisition.
If the reporting is accurate, it would be a U-turn on United’s stance of a few weeks ago when interest in Osimhen looked to have ended over the player’s wage demands, as well as questions over whether his character and personality are the right fit for the project.
