Manchester United have been given a serious transfer lift amid claims Bayern Munich will not be going after one of their striker targets this summer, with the player’s valuation also becoming apparent.
Man Utd currently have Wout Weghorst, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford as potential centre-forward options in their squad. However, Weghorst is only at Old Trafford until the summer, Martial is having an injury-hit season and Rashford prefers to operate at left wing. Due to these factors, manager Erik ten Hag needs a new player to lead his attack ready for next season.
On Tuesday, The Telegraph detailed which two goalscorers Ten Hag is prioritising. They are Tottenham talisman Harry Kane and Napoli ace Victor Osimhen.
However, problems could arise in Man Utd’s respective pursuits of those two stars. Kane says he is expecting to begin contract renewal talks with Spurs near the end of the campaign.
But even if a new deal does not come about, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy will be incredibly reluctant to sell his prized asset to Man Utd. He would rather let him leave for a European team so he does not strengthen a direct Premier League rival.
Man Utd have recently been named as frontrunners to sign Osimhen. However, Chelsea remain firmly in the hunt. And their huge spending power could cause the Red Devils serious issues.
As such, Ten Hag needs to have a Plan B. And one attacker he is supposedly looking at is Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani.
The 24-year-old, who represented France at the Qatar World Cup, is enjoying a prolific season. So far, he has managed 14 goals and 14 assists in 28 matches. That includes an incredible run of six goals in his last four appearances, helping Frankfurt to win two of those games.
Bayern not involved in Man Utd striker race, despite rumours
There have recently been reports that Frankfurt’s German rivals Bayern Munich are plotting a move for Kolo Muani once the summer transfer window opens.
This would be a blow for Man Utd, as it would significantly reduce their chances of landing him. After all, Bayern are known for poaching top players from their Bundesliga opponents.
Luckily, there has now been a positive update – from a Man Utd perspective at least – courtesy of Sky Sport Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg. On Twitter, he writes that Bayern do not plan to make an offer for Kolo Muani come the end of the season. A transfer to the Allianz Arena is ‘very unlikely’ for the Frenchman.
Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann says he is ‘happy for them [Frankfurt] as they have such a good striker’. However, the reigning Bundesliga champions are looking at other forward targets.
Plettenberg also provides some information on how Man Utd can get Kolo Muani’s signature. Frankfurt will apparently accept proposals worth between €90m-100m (£80m-89m). And there is no release clause in the former Nantes man’s contract.
Red Devils could match record signing
It seems Man Utd will have to spend big money to bring Kolo Muani to England. They might even have to match their record transfer, which is currently the £89m they spent on Paul Pogba in 2016.
But the Frankfurt star still represents a cheaper option than Kane or Osimhen. Those two strikers will likely cost way more than £100m.
Ten Hag will certainly be happy that no Kolo Muani bid will arrive from Bayern. He must now speak with the Man Utd board to find out whether they can afford upwards of £100m on one player. If not, Kolo Muani could become the primary target.
Meanwhile, Man Utd are rivalling Liverpool and Arsenal for the capture of a Barcelona star, according to Fabrizio Romano.
