Manchester United have earmarked 3 long-term strikers after Wout Weghorst loan

Manchester United look likely to sign Wout Weghorst on a six-month loan to “bridge a gap” until the summer when Erik ten Hag can find a long-term solution to the centre-forward issue at Old Trafford.

Weghorst, 30, will support Anthony Martial through the middle as The Reds aim to finish in the top four in the Premier League whilst competing on all fronts.

Cristiano Ronaldo departed the club in November and left a gap that needed filling, at the very least in the short-term.

However, reports from ESPN’s Mark Ogden have revealed that the plan at Old Trafford is to eventually end their extended wait for a long-term striker.

It was added that there are three priority targets for Ten Hag’s side. Victor Osimhen, Benjamin Sesko and Harry Kane, if he chooses against signing a new deal at Tottenham Hotspur, have been earmarked by United’s hierarchy.

The report also mentions that those within the club have acknowledged the need for a proven goalscorer for Ten Hag and have made it the “prime objective” ahead of next summer.

United have signed the likes of Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani in recent years and whilst all were great players, there was not a long-term strategy behind bringing in forwards who were well into their thirties and past their goalscoring best.

If United choose right, which they have done so far under Ten Hag, they could finally have a striker who is in their prime for the first time since Romelu Lukaku joined the club in 2017.

Weghorst, in the short-term, will bring a different option to the Theatre of Dreams than Martial and will offer some well-needed depth in the forward line.

He is desperate to get the deal over the line and, if Besiktas continue to remain difficult in negotiations, the striker is willing to pay the termination fee of his contract out of his own pocket.