Manchester United want a striker in the January transfer window… again.
But can we Red Devils supporters expect to wake up and find something very shiny under the Christmas tree? Or another lump of coal in the shape of a battle-scarred, 30-something loanee?
Much will depend on the budget available to Erik ten Hag, of course, and whether Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS – plus a potential new director of football – can get their feet under the table in time to make a splash in the winter market.
Man United have already been linked with a number of centre-forwards – from Selecao starlets to former Chelsea frontmen – and below you can find our attempt at sorting the wheat from the chaff, the attainable from the impossible.
Lois Openda – RB Leipzig
Let’s get this one out the way.
According to the Daily Mirror, Manchester United scouted Lois Openda during RB Leipzig’s Champions League defeat to Man City at the Etihad, and they liked what they saw. Of course they did. Openda scored twice on the night, his searing pace and lethal finishing leading Pep Guardiola to tear out what little hair resides on his shiny scalp.
The speedy Belgian international then admitted that he would like to ply his trade in English soil on a more consistent basis at some point in the future.
But with Openda only a few months into his five-year deal at the Red Bull Arena – and with Leipzig valuing the former Lens ace at around £75 million – you can forget about United signing the man who gave City fans sleepless nights in January.
Chances of him signing: 1/10
Santiago Gimenez – Feyenoord
While not quite as eye-wateringly expensive as Openda, Feyenoord still value Gimenez in the £40 million bracket. That is likely to put the Mexican – labelled a ‘special’ talent by none other than Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez – out of United’s reach for the time being.
The uber-reliable David Ornstein has already indicated that a January departure from De Kuip is unlikely.
And, with INEOS likely to dilute Ten Hag’s role when it comes to recruitment, the days of United spending huge sums on Eredivisie talent may be coming to an end.
Chances of him signing: 2/10
Marcos Leonardo – Santos
One thing is for certain. Marcos Leonardo will be leaving Santos in January. The club who gave us Neymar, Pele and co were relegated for the first time in their 110-year history recently, meaning any hopes they had of retaining Leonardo’s services went up in a puff of toxic, foul-smelling smoke.
What is less certain, however, is where the 20-year-old goes from here. Those Manchester United links remain somewhat tentative. And, with Rasmus Hojlund currently struggling to stamp his authority on the Premier League, the Red Devils may opt to prioritise a more experienced addition instead…
Chances of him signing; 5/10
Timo Werner – RB Leipzig
And this brings us to the man relegated to the Red Bull bench by the aforementioned Openda. Man United showed an interest in Werner before he returned to Germany from Chelsea and, despite a difficult couple of seasons which have left his reputation as bruised and battered as one of Tyson Fury’s opponents, the oft-maligned Germany international still has his share of admirers at Old Trafford.
He may not be a prolific goalscorer but Werner possesses many of the attributes Ten Hag wants from a centre-forward. He can press ferociously from the front, runs the channels, and loves opening up spaces for his fellow forwards.
A reunion with Mason Mount could, perhaps, be the key which unlocks the summer signings United career too. And while Leipzig would waste little time boarding up the windows to the Red Bull Arena if United came calling for Openda, they’d have relatively few qualms about raising the shutters and ushering Werner out the exit.
This one is much higher up the Weghorst-o-meter, for better or for worse.
Chances of him signing: 7/10
Serhou Guirassy – Stuttgart
Attainable? Tick. Affordable? Most definitely.
Stuttgart must be rueing the day they agreed to include a £15 million release clause in Guirassy’s contract, with the Frenchman producing performances befitting of a £50 million striker at the Mercedes Benz Arena. With 18 goals in just 13 games, he is one of Europe’s most in-form marksmen.
And while the cynics will be keen to play down his purple patch – deeming it an unsustainable flash-in-the-pan sort of run – well, what if it’s not? What if there is a genuinely elite-level finisher available on the market for just £15 million?
No wonder Manchester United are keen to explore such a possibility, Tuttomercatoweb reporting that talks have already been held with Guirassy’s camp.
German reporter Christian Falk, writing in his Caught Offside column, believes that United are ‘very likely’ to win the race for Guirassy’s signature with the striker late-blooming marksman for the Premier League.
Chances of him signing: 9/10
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