According to reports, Manchester United are prepared to battle Chelsea in the race to sign Samu Omorodion from Portuguese outfit Porto.
Omorodion was one of Chelsea’s preferred targets during the summer transfer window as they looked to sign a new striker.
The Atletico Madrid academy product scored eight La Liga goals while on loan at rivals Deportivo Alaves during the 2023/24 campaign.
Chelsea had prolonged talks with Atletico Madrid in the summer as it looked for a while that Omorodion and England international Conor Gallagher swap clubs.
Gallagher did finalise a move to the La Liga giants, but Omorodion’s proposed move to Chelsea collapsed after the Premier League giants reportedly made a ‘disrespectful’ offer to the forward.
The Blues were willing to pay around £34.5m for Omorodion and it felt like they would have overpaid to sign a relatively unproven striker. This sentiment was strengthened when Porto paid just £12.5m to sign him later in the window.
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However, Omorodion has made a sensational start to the 2024/25 campaign as he’s scored eleven goals in his eleven appearances for Porto across all competitions.
The young striker scored a brace as Porto held Man Utd to a 3-3 draw in the Europa League group stages and the Red Devils are reportedly interested in signing him.
Man Utd could do with signing a new striker as they have only scored nine goals in their first ten Premier League games this season.
The Premier League outfit have been linked with Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres in recent days, but a report claims the prolific forward has already turned down a move to Old Trafford.
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A report in Spain claims Man Utd and Chelsea will ‘fight’ for Omorodion as they ‘want to sign’ him during next year’s summer transfer window.
‘Chelsea and Manchester United have identified Omorodion as the ideal profile to strengthen their attack.
‘On the one hand, the Blues see the young striker as a solution to strengthen the attack under the direction of Enzo Maresca, who already showed interest in signing him in the last transfer window. On the other hand, United, about to welcome coach Ruben Amorim, see Omorodion as a key resource to revitalize their attack and ensure a goal-scoring quota that has been inconsistent in recent years.
‘Porto, however, will not facilitate his departure. With a contract that binds him until 2029 and a release clause reaching 100 million euros (around £83m), the Portuguese club have the upper hand and will only let him go on his terms, which adds an economic challenge to the aspirations of the English clubs.’
