One Champions League club are pursuing one of Manchester United players who is “likely” to leave this summer.
Manchester United are preparing a mass exodus of forwards as the club looks to revitalise their attack. Last season, the squad’s lack of goals led to a record low Premier League finish and failure to qualify for any of the European competitions.
Ruben Amorim is looking to transition the attack to better fit his system. This includes moving away from traditional wingers and instead utilising two versatile attacking midfielders that can operate both centrally and outside.
This means that a number of wingers who have fallen out of favour at the club will likely move on. This includes academy graduates Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho.
United have also been in contact with Juventus as the Italian side are pursuing a move for Jadon Sancho. Sancho looked to be heading for Chelsea, but the London club paid a £5 million fee to get out of their obligation to buy clause, opening the door for the Turin side.
Additionally, a new report has indicated that, as well as the wingers, one of United’s strikers is likely to depart the club.
Hojlund more likely to leave
Laurie Whitwell from the Athletic has revealed that Ramus Hojlund is more likely to leave United than stay this summer. During the latest episode of the Talk of the Devils podcast, Whitwell explained how Hojlund looks likely to leave and who could potentially replace him.
Inter had previously been linked with a move for Hojlund as they see him as a potential replacement for Mehdi Taremi. Whitwell indicated that the Italian club are still “firmly” interested in the Danish striker.
Last season was a difficult one for Hojlund as he only managed 12 goal involvements in 52 appearances. Although only 22 years old, a change of scenery may be what the striker needs to progress, as previous reports indicated that Hojlund was giving his “total availability” to Inter.
In a positive from United’s perspective, Whitwhell suggested that a permanent transfer is more likely than a loan. As United are trying to raise funds to bring in new players, this style of deal would be preferable for the club.
Uniteds striker hunt
United still reportedly want a striker after they finalise the deal for Bryan Mbeumo. At the moment, the club is being linked to a number of names, but there is no clear frontrunner.
United were thin in the striking department last season as Kobbie Mainoo and Harry Maguire were both used as makeshift strikers at times, so if Hojlund does leave, then Amorim will likely want to bring in two strikers.
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The most recent name to be linked with the position is Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins. During the same podcast, Whitwell noted that Watkins is a new name in the conversation internally at United, potentially indicating that the club is moving away from previous targets such as Victor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen and Hugo Ekitike.
If Watkins was brought in to replace Hojlund then then the squad would immediately be receiving a more seasoned striker up front. At 29 years old, Watkins will have the knowledge to make the most of the limited chances that United’s strikers typically receive. However, only bringing in Watkins would still leave the squad shorthanded, so the club could potentially move for another striker later in the window.
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