Three forwards Manchester United should consider signing in the summer transfer window

With Erik Ten Hag reporting stating that an elite-level centre forward is priority number one for the upcoming summer transfer window, here are 3 forward players Manchester United should consider bringing in for next season.

#1 – Harry Kane

Harry Kane is a player that needs very little introduction. He is a world-class striker and a generational talent who performs season after season for club and country and a player that any club in the world would be grateful to have upfront. However, despite various opportunities to move elsewhere, Kane has stayed fiercely loyal to Tottenham Hotspur, where he has played since 2004.

That being said, this summer could finally see him move away from Tottenham following their worst league finish since the 2008/09 season.

With the situation at Tottenham looking unlikely to improve in the near future and the 29-year-old no doubt wary of wasting his prime years, Harry Kane may decide that now is the time to part ways with the club and move elsewhere. Should he make this decision, then Harry Kane to Manchester United seems like a match made in heaven and one that makes sense for all parties involved.

For United, with the departures of Anthony Martial and Wout Weghorst looking likely and Cristiano Ronaldo leaving earlier in the season, a new striker is essential going into the 2023/24 season. Not only this but whoever comes in needs to be a world-class goal-scoring talent who can play in big games across the season and maintain a consistent goal-scoring record.

Who better fits these criteria than Harry Kane?

Kane is a 3-time Premier League golden boot winner who regularly scores 20+ goals across all competitions every season, seemingly regardless of his own form or that of the team around him. This season alone, perhaps his most impressive given the standard of the team he was playing in, Kane has scored 32 goals, assisting 5.

As one of Manchester United’s key issues at the moment is scoring goals, scoring the least of the top 6 teams in the Premier League this season, bringing in Kane will undoubtedly rectify this and propel United closer towards consistent silverware once again.

For Harry Kane, two things seem to constantly hang over him and his career, his lack of trophies, and breaking Alan Shearer’s impressive 260 all-time Premier League goal record. Moving to Manchester United would allow him to both win trophies and break this record in the near future.

Given that Erik ten Hag managed to take Manchester United, largely playing without a striker, to 2 cup finals, winning one with the other upcoming, adding to this team a world-class striker in Kane, as well as other signings which are likely to come in, should lead to more and more opportunities in finals and eventually, trophies.

On top of this, staying in England would allow Kane to keep going for Shearer’s record, which he is just 48 goals away from breaking. Now that he has broken Tottenham’s all-time goal-scoring record, he will absolutely be aiming for the Premier League record and, as he is able to score over 20 goals most seasons for a poor Tottenham team, it is very likely that he would comfortably break this record within 2 seasons with Manchester United.

Finally, for Tottenham Hotspur, whilst fans of the club would no doubt be sad to see their talisman leave the club, this summer really feels like it is the time for him to move on and, should the club get in the way of this, it could end up getting ugly and sour the relationship between Kane, Tottenham and the fans.

Instead, following an impressive season now would be a good time to cash in on Kane, who could go for up to £100m, and use the money raised from his sale to spread some much-needed investment more evenly across other positions in the team.

#2 – Rasmus Højlund

Manchester United have long been linked with Atalanta striker Rasmus Højlund, and for good reason. The Danish international has announced himself to the world this season, scoring 8 goals and assisting 2 in 31 appearances for his club, many of which were from the bench.

Internationally, the 20-year-old has also drawn eyes following impressive back-to-back performances which saw him score a hat-trick against Finland and a brace against Kazakhstan in this season’s European qualifiers.

Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini has had only good things to say about the young striker, stating that “From the technical standpoint and in other areas, I have seen very few strikers who are as strong as him at 20 years old.”

He also added that there were several areas he believed the Dane could improve in, therefore adding further value to the player and making it less likely for Atalanta to keep him at the club should a European giant such as Manchester United show interest.

Although this wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing for Atalanta as having signed him for just €17m last summer, they stand to profit a lot from selling Højlund, with their minimum asking price rumoured to be around €40m.

Given that Ten Hag is reportedly keen to sign an ‘up-and-coming forward’ alongside one of an established elite level, Højlund would perfectly fit into Manchester United’s long-term plan and with a non-penalty xG of 0.42 per 90 minutes, putting him in the 66^th percentile of forwards in the top 5 leagues, he no doubt would continue to improve and perform at Old Trafford.

#3 – Evan Ferguson

Of the 3 players listed, this one is probably the least likely to happen, but it is one that would be amazing for Manchester United and Erik Ten Hag.

Evan Ferguson has emerged as one of the most exciting young strikers in the world in recent months. Aged just 18, the Irishman has impressed playing for both club and country in his first full season, even drawing praise from PSG star Kylian Mbappé. For Brighton, he scored six goals and assisted a further two in 950 minutes this season, and since being called up to the senior squad in November last year, he has scored four goals and assisted one for the Republic of Ireland.

Whilst Ferguson wouldn’t necessarily be starting regularly for Manchester United, especially if another striker is brought in, he is another up-and-coming forward to have in the squad for cup competitions and one that will no doubt develop into an even better talent in the coming years, especially under the guidance of a world-class manager like Erik ten Hag.

However, with Roberto De Zerbi confirming that he already expects to lose both Moisés Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister this summer, it may be tough to convince the seagulls to part with another of their young superstars. That being said, it has been reported that Manchester United have earmarked Ferguson as a potential key signing in next summer’s transfer window so, keep an eye on him.