Manchester United have rejected the chance to sign a £25 million striker this summer, with AC Milan now set to swoop in for his signature.
Manchester United are actively looking to improve their attack this summer after a poor 2024/25 season that saw them finish 15th in the Premier League, with a lack of goals a major factor in their struggles.
Bruno Fernandes was the club’s leading scorer with 19 goals, followed by Alejandro Garnacho and Amad with 11 each. Rasmus Højlund contributed 10, but no other player reached double figures across all competitions.
The Reds have already completed the £62.5 million signing of Matheus Cunha and are working to secure Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo, though Tottenham are making a late push to hijack the move for the Cameroon international.
United are also in the market for a central striker. While Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyökeres was high on their shortlist, the Swedish forward now appears to prefer a move to Arsenal, forcing United to consider alternative targets.
United have rejected the chance to sign Vlahovic
With United assessing their striker options in the summer market, it was reported last week that United had been offered the chance to sign Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic, with Juventus willing to part ways with the striker for £25 million.
However, a new report from Gazzetta dello Sport has revealed that United have passed on the opportunity, with Juventus having received no official bids and no concrete talks having taken place.
The GDS report further clarifies that the option to join AC Milan has now opened, with the 25-year-old’s former manager at Juventus, Massimiliano Allegri, has taken over at the San Siro.
The main issue surrounding Vlahovic, once touted as one of the most “exciting” young strikers in the Serie A, remains his current wage package, with the player estimated to earn a contract well over £10 million per season pre-tax.
This is undoubtedly a significant deterrent for United, as it would equate to around £350,000 per week gross in England.
United are currently sitting back in the striker market
United’s initial first-choice target for the striker position was Liam Delap, but with the English forward joining Chelsea, there has been no clear indication of their secondary target.
Amorim is known to be a great admirer of Gyökeres, but his preference to join Arsenal and the current war of words between Sporting and his agent have made him a less appealing target, with United choosing to sit on the sidelines and simply observe.
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According to multiple reports, they have already decided that Victor Osimhen is not a player they are looking to sign, as he is unwilling to lower his wage demands.
Meanwhile, although the club have made enquiries about Hugo Ekitike to understand Eintracht Frankfurt’s demands, they are yet to commit to a deal.
By all accounts, United appear to be happy to bide their time and assess the striker market at a later date, rather than jumping in and trying to secure a new centre-forward. Instead, they will focus on bringing in Mbeumo.
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