Manchester United are hunting for a ruthless goalscorer in the summer to replace Rasmus Hojlund, who has let Ruben Amorim down big time.
The Dane has managed a meagre three goals in the Premier League and his inability to find the back of the net has been a major reason behind the Red Devils being 14th in the English top-flight.
What the head coach ideally wanted was a reunion with his Sporting CP protege Viktor Gyokeres but the Swede wants to win trophies and play in the Champions League and hence turned down the prospect of a move to Old Trafford.
As a result, the club gravitated towards Victor Osimhen, who has been on fire for loan outfit Galatasaray. Plenty of reports have even stated that the Nigerian is close to agreeing a move to Manchester.
Osimhen wage demands
The club feel he is a better fit than Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap but his wage demands have meant the 20-time English league champions are finally ready to move on from him.
It is well known at this point that INEOS are trying to clear their bloated wage bill and currently, they do not have the finances to land the Napoli ace.
“Some figures at the club remain convinced the Nigeria international, who is on loan at Galatasaray from Napoli, is a better fit as they seek a huge upturn in goal output next season.
“GMS sources have been told that Manchester United discovered their pursuit of Osimhen was more complicated than initially anticipated when they explored the possibility of striking a deal over the past week, with funds being a significant stumbling block as Amorim aims to strengthen his attacking options.
Osimhen no longer a target
“Manchester United have walked away from completing a deal for Osimhen after it became clear that he was seeking a contract which would see him pocket in the region of £300,000-per-week, according to GMS sources, resulting in Amorim having to focus on attempting to sign the likes of Ipswich Town marksman Liam Delap instead.”
Chelsea have also moved on from the Nigeria international while the Naples outfit do not want to sell to direct rivals Juventus. Whether this opens up the possibility of a move later in the window remains to be seen.
For now, Osimhen’s wage demands mean a move to Saudi Arabia is seen as the most plausible destination with Al-Hilal reportedly keen on a move.
As a consequence, United are now desperately trying to sign Delap even though Chelsea feel confident of winning the race. An intriguing summer window awaits United fans.
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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
