Manchester United are expected to be busy on transfer deadline day plugging the various gaps in the squad.
One of the consequence of leaving business until the last minute, is that there is little room to cherry-pick luxury signings, when there are urgent additions to make.
That is a shame, because there is one exciting addition Manchester United need to make, which will probably go ignored.
And that is to sign another striker, to help Rasmus Hojlund out and provide the cover Anthony Martial probably won’t be able to.
READ: Confirmed Manchester United transfers in, out, loans, releases, youth for 2023/24
Marcos Leonardo would be exciting signing
Our dream striker signing would be for Manchester United to take a chance on exciting Brazilian forward Marcos Leonardo.
United have been linked to the striker since last October, and more recently, The Mail has reported the club are still keeping tabs on him, amid his links to Roma.
However, with Roma signing former United striker Romelu Lukaku, it is likely they do not push through a deal for Leonardo.
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The reason a deal for Marcos Leonardo would be such an exciting late signing is the combination of youth, potential and value.
The 20-year-old scored seven goals in seven games for Brazil’s under-20 side and is viewed as a future Selecao star.
He has 16 goals in 33 games at first team level for Santos this season, and 49 goals already for his club in his career to date, including strikes in the Copa Libertadores.
Alone he is not ready to lead the line for United, but then, arguably nor is Hojlund. Together they could take the pressure off one another.
The South American market is too frequently ignored by United. We saw that turning down the chance to sign Julian Alvarez was a mistake, as with Moises Caicedo.
Surprise deals and lack of cash
Manchester United proved last deadline day that a move can come out of nowhere, see the last minute switch for Marcel Sabitzer.
The difference then was that this was a loan deal, and that’s where the club’s focus lies once again.
Financial Fair Play restrictions combined with mismanagement of the existing budget has left United cash-strapped once again.
It means rather than having an excess £20-30 million in the bank to pluck out a luxury signing, a new striker to excite the fan base, United are scrabbling around trying to find the pennies for loan fees.
An extra striker would be an exciting addition. But the dream signing is unlikely to become reality.