Manchester United have struggled to find a prolific striker capable of successfully overcoming the weight that comes with leading the line at Old Trafford.
Without Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marcus Rashford, United have had many strikers come and fail. Edinson Cavani, despite seeming at the time to be prolific, scored just 19 goals whereas Antony Martial’s difficulties ended in him leaving the club for nothing.
Two years ago, United coughed up £72million to bring Rasmus Hojlund to the club. The then-20-year-old had scored 10 goals for Atalanta after five with Copenhagen and 12 at Sturm Graz. When you look at the numbers, it’s quite remarkable that he cost so much.
Following a season where he showed plenty of promise and clinical eye for goal, Hojlund struggled in his second campaign. The Denmark international scored just four Premier League goals and is one of the players United would happily sell this summer.
Matheus Cunha’s signing from Wolves bolsters United’s attack but the priority is adding to the Brazilian. Bryan Mbeumo is likely to be the next new face through the door but a centre-forward is expected to follow and it’s difficult to know which one they want.
Liam Delap was the first number one target before he signed for Chelsea and Viktor Gyokeres is reportedly targeting a move to Arsenal. There remains other targets like Victor Osimhen and Hugo Ekitike, but United have been known for pulling off some outrageous deals.
Previously, Harry Kane was United’s number one target. It was reported that they failed to bring him to Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag prior to his move to Bayern Munich, deciding against spending £100m for one of the world’s best to save £28m to sign Hojlund.
Now 32, Kane has ended his wait for silverware at Bayern with the Bundesliga title. A return to England has been mooted in recent months and while it seems far-fetched to think of Kane walking out at Old Trafford, hear us out.
According to respected outlet BILD, the German champions hold an interest in RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko. It’s said they view the 22-year-old as Kane’s long-term replacement and they could move for him this summer.
Priced at £75m, Sesko is Arsenal’s number one target after bagging 21 goals in spite of a disappointing season for Leipzig. Surprisingly, the report adds that should Sesko be signed, Bayern would bring Kane back into the number 10 role with his tendency to drop deep complimenting that.
Sesko to the Allianz Arena has work to do with Arsenal claiming to ‘hold the upper hand’ but Bayern’s pull in Germany is telling. If a move did materialise, it’s not yet clear whether Kane would be happy with being moving away from centre-forward.
Step forward, Jason Wilcox. The signing of Kane would come at the perfect time with Amorim desperate for a striker to hit the ground running.
The issue with Gyokeres, Osimhen or Ekitike, they have zero Premier League experience. They all carry doubts over their heads that will come as a concern, whereas Kane has scored 213 goals – 47 goals behind Alan Shearer.
Whether United would entertain the prospect of signing Kane, or whether the England international would be open to returning to England. However, if Bayern do pull off a deal for Sesko, it would be the perfect green light for United to swoop in and bring in the ready-made goalscorer needed.
