Manchester United have suffered a blow in their striker search as one target looks likely to move elsewhere.
Ruben Amorim and Manchester United are planning a squad revamp following a poor Premier League season. Almost all areas of the pitch are looking like they will need some form of reinforcements.
The one area United needs to focus on most is their attack. So far this season, the Reds have a goal difference of minus 12 and sit 16th in the table.
United’s main strikers this season have been mixed at best, with Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee only having scored seven Premier League goals between them. Both strikers joined United largely unproven so the club is now on the hunt for a more seasoned goalscorer.
However, United have been dealt a blow in these efforts as they appear to have fallen out of the race for one of their striker targets ahead of the summer.
United look set to miss out on David
Reports from L’equipe have indicated that four teams have emerged as the front runners for United striker target Jonathan David, and United are not one of them. This will come as a disappointment to the Reds who had made contact with Davids’s agent in April.
The Canadian international side’s record goalscorer is set to leave Lille when his contract expires this summer. David has spent five years at Lille and leaves the club as the second-highest goalscorer in the club’s history, just three goals off Andre Strappe’s record.
This proven record makes David the exact kind of striker that United would be hoping to sign but L’equipe have listed the current favourites to sign the striker as Tottenham, Aston Villa, Juventus and Napoli.
All of these clubs bar Spurs are currently in a Champions League spot in their respective leagues, making them appealing destinations for David, who has 13 goal involvements in 14 Champions League appearances this season.
One of Spurs or United will be playing in the Champions League next season depending on which side wins the Europa League final on Wednesday. It is possible if United win on Wednesday they would become a preferential destination over Spurs and could mount a comeback in this transfer race.
United interested in four other strikers
If United do end up missing out on David they still have several other targets. A recent report from Sebastian Denis in Foot Mercato named United’s four-man striker shortlist and David was notably absent.
The names Denis listed were Victor Gyokeres, Moises Keane, Liam Delap and Victor Oshimen. All four players, like David, have had impressive 2024/25 campaigns but none of them are available on a free and will end up costing United substantially. The most likely signing seems like it would be Delap from Ipswich Town.
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As well as a striker, Amorim appears to be looking to sign at least one more player who can play one of his two “number 10” roles. The favourite to be signed in this position currently is Matheus Cunha from Wolves. Amorim is likely hoping that more players who can create goals as well as score them will improve the strikers already at the club and make the arrival of new strikers easier.
It’s currently unclear whether United have moved away from David as a target or if David is the one who is not currently interested in the move.
Either way, the club will likely end up rueing the decision not to pursue David more aggressively if he does go elsewhere as it’s rare to see such a high-value player available as a free agent without a specific destination in mind. With the club limited in terms of how much they can spend due to PSR, a free agent of the calibre of David will be a sore miss.
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