Manchester United are set to secure the signing of Bryan Mbeumo, and the attention may turn to the signing of a new striker.
It’s taken a while, but Manchester United are finally poised to confirm the signing of Bryan Mbeumo.
Mbeumo has undergone a medical with United and will finally complete his move to Old Trafford.
The Cameroonian forward will offer a major attacking boost, but Ruben Amorim may seek further additions in the final third.
Another striker is surely on the radar, and United have been linked with Randal Kolo Muani as he looks to leave Paris Saint-Germain.
Nicolas Jackson is also on United’s wish list, but one man who won’t be arriving at Old Trafford is Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike.
Eintracht Frankfurt expected Manchester United move for Hugo Ekitike
United were interested in Ekitike earlier this summer after an impressive season with Eintracht.
Ekitike hit 22 goals in 48 games across all competitions last season, chipping in 12 assists as well.
The Frenchman has become one of the most exciting strikers in Europe, bouncing back after a difficult spell with Paris Saint-Germain.
United were, understandably, very interested in Ekitike, but never reached the point of making an offer to Eintracht.
Ekitike is now set to sign for Liverpool, meaning he will be lining up against United this season and beyond.
Fabrizio Romano has now claimed that Eintracht internally expected United to make a move to sign Ekitike once a move to Newcastle United broke down last week.
United called to ask for information on a potential deal, but Ekitike quickly decided to join Liverpool, ruling out a move to Old Trafford.
“Manchester United will sign an important striker this summer. They want to sign a striker, they want to go for a striker, and they will sign a striker this summer,” said Romano.
“Now that Cunha is done and Mbeumo is done, the focus is the striker. Manchester United made this very clear internally, and many agents in the market are aware about that. So what happened? For example, with Hugo Ekitike, someone internally at Eintracht expected Manchester United to try and enter the race Hugo Ekitike when the deal collapsed with Newcastle.
“Manchester United were calling to be informed on the situation with Hugo Ekitike, then the player decided to go to Liverpool, and there wasn’t a chance to enter into the deal,” he added.
United’s striker pursuit faces agonising wait
United fans have been left frustrated for weeks now, with progress on a deal for Mbeumo moving at a snail’s pace.
Well, the pursuit of a new striker may follow a similar route as United look to sell players before bringing in further additions.
Marcus Rashford is close to joining Barcelona on loan, but that won’t provide United with a major cash boost.
Juventus want Jadon Sancho, and Atletico Madrid are keen on Antony, so United will hope for sales there.
Until those players move on, it’s difficult to see United funding a move for a striker such as Jackson or Kolo Muani.
Ekitike may have been a dream target, but with Mbeumo the focus and Liverpool making their move, there was little chance of a United hijack attempt.
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