Man Utd could sign Gyokeres 2.0 for less than half the price, he might be even better

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Manchester United have made a new striker target number one this summer, with Viktor Gyokeres among the most sought-after names.

Since arriving at Old Trafford, Ruben Amorim has watched on helplessly as Rasmus Hojlund has made scoring goals look like a massive chore for Manchester United.

Just three Premier League goals all season has meant that the club have struggled in the league, sitting in a lowly mid-table position, failing to threaten opponents at all.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
11	BrentfordBrentford	30	12	5	13	51	47	4	41
12	Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace	29	10	10	9	37	34	3	40
13	Man UtdManchester United	30	10	7	13	37	41	-4	37
14	TottenhamTottenham	30	10	4	16	55	44	11	34
15	EvertonEverton	30	7	13	10	32	37	-5	34

Now, with the summer just two months away, Ineos’ plans for an overhaul have taken shape, with four priority positions on United’s shortlist.

One of these positions is a new striker, and there are several potential options emerging for United already, both established number nines and emerging.

• READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Man Utd’s head coach – Ruben Amorim

Manchester United can sign Georges Mikautadze for half the price of Viktor Gyokeres

One of the main striker options United have been looking at signing for months now is Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres.

The Swede is a goal machine, with 42 goals already this season across all competitions, and a chunk of these strikes even came under the coaching of Amorim.

However, Gyokeres will likely want Champions League football, which United need to win the Europa League to secure, but even then, the asking price could simply be too high for a cash-strapped Ineos this summer.

Due to this, it could be that United instead look at signing a similar player for a far cheaper fee, with Lyon’s Georges Mikautadze ticking the boxes.

Despite limited minutes this season, Georgian international Mikautadze has proven he can score goals with 14 to his name for the Ligue 1 side this season.

Mikautadze has a market value of less than £20m, with his qualities having the possible ability to far surpass a player of this level, as seen when he is compared with Gyokeres. The pair are strikers in a similar mouled, who can do it all not just finish.

FBRef lists Mikautadze as the second-most similar player to Gyokeres in football, which bodes well for how the Euro 2024 top scorer would adapt under Amorim despite his height of 5ft 9in not being ideal for the club head coach.

How does Mikautadze compare to Gyokeres?

In terms of qualities, there is little between Mikautadze and Gyokeres, with both being natural goal scorers, however their all around game also bares striking similarities.

Both are more than just pure goal-scorers, capable of getting involved and linking up play for their teams, which United lack with Hojlund right now. Below is a look at how the two strikers compare to each other.

As seen from the pizza chart above, Mikautadze ranks incredible highly among strikers in Europe’s big five leagues for his take-ons, carries, passing, chance creation and also goal scoring.

When compared to Gyokeres’ graph, it becomes clear why the two are considered similar players by FBRef.

Mikautadze is almost like a mini version of Gyokeres; however, at just 24, he could still improve as a number nine, just like Gyokeres did at this age.

Amorim will get the chance to watch the striker in action live next week when United take on Lyon in the Europa League, where Rayan Cherki could also be on United’s radar. This kind of signing for a fee of around £20m and then replacing Hojlund with Liam Delap would have United suitably stacked up from next season, the opposite of this campaign.