Manchester United’s summer pursuit of a new striker has taken yet another dramatic turn, now that one of their main rivals has ‘made contact’ with one of their dream targets.
With the new Premier League season only a matter of weeks away, many teams have started to ramp up their transfer activity thick and fast.
Despite this, Manchester United’s summer business has plateaued since signing Matheus Cunha, with negotiations for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo taking far longer than expected.
Having scored a sub-par 44 goals in the league last season, Ruben Amorim’s side came into this summer window desperate to replenish their struggling attack, but have been unsuccessful in nailing down a striker target as of yet.
To add salt to the wounds, rivals of the Red Devils, Liverpool, have reportedly made contact with one of the strikers on United’s wish list who could be available for around £52 million.
Liverpool ‘make contact’ with Mateta
According to a report from Foot Mercato, Liverpool are eyeing up a move for Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is under contract until 2027.
Although the Frenchman had initially been close to signing a new contract with the London club, talks have become hard after their were expelled from the Europa League, with the player seemingly back on the market this summer.
Mateta has achieved back-to-back successful seasons, scoring 17 goals and assisting four in his 46 appearances across all competitions last season for Oliver Glasner’s Eagles.
The French outlet states that “sublime” Mateta’s entourage met with Liverpool in Paris to discuss the possibility of a move, with a fee in the region of £43-52 million being reportedly sufficient.
Last season’s league champions have had a very active summer so far, as they look to improve while they’re on top, with them trying to ease the goalscoring burden from Mohammed Salah.
The Merseyside Reds were already in the market for a new striker, but the recent tragic passing of forward Diogo Jota will have left their squad with a big hole to fill.
Where does this leave United?
Unfortunately for Amorim’s side, their options for a new striker are dwindling as the weeks pass, with this potentially being another target lost elsewhere.
Only a few realistic targets remain for the Red Devils, so it would be a real blow if they were to see the prolific Frenchman head to such huge rivals.
United remain interested in Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, who is quickly emerging as an ideal target, but they seem solely focused on completing the signing of Mbeumo first.
With the new season fast approaching and many teams starting to increase their transfer activity, the next few weeks will be very crucial to United’s summer, with new incomings seemingly a must.
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