Manchester United’s hunt for a striker will not be an easy fix given the team’s current position in the Premier League table and their financial situation.
The Red Devils are languishing in 13th position and while they remain alive in the Europa League, the likelihood of Champions League football for next season looks bleak.
Which is why Ruben Amorim’s primary target Viktor Gyokeres rejected a move to Manchester in January as he wants to play in Europe’s premier club competition.
Another top target Victor Osimhen is reportedly open to a switch even without Champions League football but his wage demands and Napoli’s valuation are both pretty significant and it remains to be seen if INEOS can muster up the funds.
Aghehowa remains a top target
Which is why alternatives like Liam Delap and Lorenzo Lucca are also being monitored. Another young striker on the club’s radar is Porto hitman Samu Aghehowa.
United fans will remember the Spaniard well with the 20-year-old netting twice in Porto’s 3-3 draw with the 20-time English league champions during the Europa League group stage.
He tore Matthijs de Ligt, known for his aerial prowess, to shreds on that night, and has been in red-hot form throughout the campaign.
This is his debut season in Porto colours and he already has 21 goals and three assists and has even broken into the Spanish national team.
As a result, multiple top European clubs have joined the race for the former Atletico Madrid starlet with Porto unlikely to sell for less than his €100 million release clause.
As per CaughtOffside, despite the steep price, it is Amorim who is pushing United to try and sign the “unreal” ace while Lamine Yamal is asking Barcelona to do the same.
Amorim pushing for him
“Manchester United are keeping a close eye on Porto striker Samu Aghehowa ahead of this summer’s transfer window, CaughtOffside understands.
“Sources with a close understanding of the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Man Utd are joined by Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Tottenham and West Ham United in tracking Aghehowa.
“It is understood that Ruben Amorim is a big fan of Aghehowa and is driving the Red Devils’ interest in the Spaniard, though it remains to be seen if he’ll be realistically affordable for them.
“Barcelona also really like Aghehowa, with Lamine Yamal understood to be personally pushing for the Catalan giants to bring in his international teammate.”
He fits in perfectly with what Amorim demands from a centre-forward, both physically and finishing-wise but it would require a huge bid to land him in the summer. Whether that is possible remains to be seen.
Feature image Octavio Passos via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
