Manchester United’s manager, Erik ten Hag, has shed light on the club’s endeavors to secure a new striker ahead of the upcoming 2023-24 season.
With two successful signings already, the Red Devils are now focused on bolstering their attacking options after the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wout Weghorst.
The club’s latest acquisitions, Mason Mount from Chelsea for £60m and goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan for around £47.2m, have joined the first-team squad on their pre-season tour in the United States.
However, the void left by Ronaldo and Weghorst has compelled Manchester United to explore potential reinforcements in the transfer market.
While high-profile names like Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe have been linked with the club, no formal approaches have been made for these players yet.
Ten Hag was tight-lipped when asked about the prospect of signing Mbappe, emphasizing their policy of not discussing players under contract with other clubs.
Instead, the Red Devils have intensified their pursuit of Atalanta BC’s young striker, Rasmus Hojlund. Manchester United, though, seems hesitant to meet the £85m valuation of the 20-year-old Denmark international, with an offer currently around £60m.
Ten Hag has been careful not to reveal specific targets but affirmed that the talks to sign a new striker are progressing well. He expressed eagerness to finalize the deal swiftly to integrate the new addition into the team and its playing style.
The need for a potent striker is evident from Manchester United’s goal-scoring records over the past two seasons.
With just 57 and 58 Premier League goals in 2021-22 and the last season, respectively, they had the lowest tally among the top six teams.
Marcus Rashford shone brightly, contributing 30 goals across all competitions in 2022-23, but Ten Hag is urging other players to step up in the final third.
The addition of Mason Mount provides United with not only goal-scoring abilities but also creative prowess, enhancing the chances of players like Rashford to find the back of the net. Ten Hag emphasized the collective responsibility of the team to increase goal production.
Rasmus Hojlund has shown promise with 10 goals in 34 appearances during his debut season with Atalanta, following an impressive run with Austrian club Sturm Graz, where he netted 12 times in 21 matches.
Apart from Hojlund, other exciting prospects linked with a move to Old Trafford include Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, both of whom showcased impressive goal-scoring records last season.