Manchester United striker target ‘will score goals’ and could be £25m bargain for whoever signs him

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Manchester United are reportedly keeping tabs on Santos striker Marcos Leonardo and South American expert Tim Vickery believes £25 million is a ‘fair price’ for the Premier League-linked goalscorer. 

By Vickery’s admission, Marcos Leonardo is still far from the finished product. But maybe that’s to be expected. He is, after all, only 20 years of age. And what Leonardo lacks in terms of link-play and his qualities outside of the penalty area, he makes up for inside the box.

The Brazil U20 international has 21 goals in 42 games for Santos this term. 

And at a time where strikers of a similar age and of similar potential are changing hands for eye-watering sums – Manchester United paid an initial £63 million for fellow 20-year-old Rasmus Hojlund over the summer – Leonardo’s rumoured £25 million asking price has the makings of excellent value for money.

Manchester United like Marcos Leonardo

“That seems to be a fair price,” Vickery tells talkSPORT (1 November, 3pm).

“He’s a stocky striker, very, very good in the penalty area. The problem he has, at the moment, is that he doesn’t produce a lot outside the penalty area. So he’s got a lot of developing to do. But you get him the service and he’ll score goals.”

As Hojlund would no doubt attest, ‘service’ is the issue at Old Trafford these days. The Dane is yet to open his Premier League account. And, for the most part, the blame lies at the feet of those tasked with providing the bullets.

Hojlund has been operating like a shotgun without ammunition.

Red Devils face Newcastle battle

Leonardo, who has also been linked with Man United’s Carabao Cup opponents and top-four rivals Newcastle, told AS recently that January could be the right time for a fresh start and a new challenge on the other side of the Atlantic.

“I feel prepared to play for a great club and in a great European championship,” Leonardo, linked with United by Gazzetta dello Sport, explains. “Naturally, I see other young players who have already moved.

“Playing in high-level competitions with Santos – such as the Paulistao, the Brasileiro, the Copa Libertadores, the Copa do Brasil and the Sudamericana – I better understood the points to evolve in my game and how to behave.