Manchester United are reported to be attempting to sign Dutch international striker Wout Weghorst.
BBC Sport report United are keen to sign Weghorst on loan from Burnley, which would cut short his current loan at Besiktas.
Weghorst has a strong scoring record across his career with more than 170 club goals, and his spell at Burnley was the only real misfire.
United need a striker to provide cover for Anthony Martial, after Cristiano Ronaldo was released at the end of 2022.
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Weghorst has Van Nistelrooy backing
Wout Weghorst has the backing of one of Manchester United’s greatest ever strikers, Ruud van Nistelrooy, who scored 150 goals in 219 games for the club – five more than Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally across two spells at Old Trafford.
Van Nistelrooy is currently the PSV Eindhoven manager, and worked alongside Weghorst at Euro 2020 when he was the Netherlands assistant coach.
Speaking last year to The Mail, Van Nistelrooy explained how Weghorst is the type of striker who any manager would love to have in their side.
He said: “It’s a strength that we have that we have a 6ft 6in striker.
“Sometimes we need a striker like that for the hold-up play, for games with a lot of crosses or someone players can use to play around him.”
United lack an aerial threat in the final third, currently, especially with Ronaldo’s departure. Van Nistelrooy appreciated the extra option and uniqueness which Weghorst brought to the Dutch squad, and Erik ten Hag will likely feel similar.
Work behind the scenes to get a striker in remains ongoing, with Manchester United preparing for the Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Charlton Athletic.
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