Manchester United have seemingly saw a last-gasp offer for one of their transfer targets rejected as they agree a deal to join one of their rivals.
Manchester United are urgently seeking to bolster their attacking lineup this summer after a lacklustre season in front of goal.
Ruben Amorim has already begun reshaping the squad, bringing in Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon. Meanwhile, negotiations are ongoing with Brentford over a potential move for Bryan Mbeumo.
Finding a proven striker remains a top priority for the club, with supporters initially hoping for a blockbuster signing such as Victor Osimhen or Viktor Gyökeres. However, those high-profile moves now seem increasingly unlikely.
As a result, United are turning their attention to alternative targets, with Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike being one of the options considered.
United’s last-gasp offer for Ekitike rejected
Ekitike has caught the eye of Europe’s elite during his time in then Bundesliga and recently Newcastle and Liverpool have been battling it out for his signature.
United have always remained in the picture, however, and reports this week claimed that the Reds were willing to offer Frankfurt a player plus cash deal to sway their decision.
But it has now been revealed by reliable French reporter Fabrice Hawkins that Ekitike has reached an agreement with Liverpool on a six-year contract.
It was further explained that the player only wanted to join Arne Slot’s side and had rejected United within the last 24 hours, suggesting the Reds attempted a last-minute offer to him.
The report explained that negotiations are ongoing between Liverpool and Frankfurt to reach an agreement on the fee.
United cannot compete with Liverpool right now
United have certainly not lost all of their pulling power with both Cunha and Mbeumo rejecting Champions League clubs due to their preference for Old Trafford moves.
But the Reds simply aren’t on the level of a club like Liverpool at the moment, which is painful considering they are such huge rivals.
Ekitike was a United fan growing up but that isn’t enough to convince him to reject the chance of securing a move to a club likely to be competing for silverware across the board next term.
Thankfully, there is still plenty of elite players open to joining United this summer but it is simply the case of the club making enough money from sales to be able to bring them in.
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