Man United 'make early contact' with £68m-rated Premier League sensation amid keen Arsenal interest
Manchester United are looking to add more firepower in attack this summer to bring more goals to Ruben Amorim’s side.
Ruben Amorim has focused on attack so far this summer, as he’s added Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo. The pair contributed to 35 Premier League goals last summer, which is just nine fewer goals than United’s entire team last year.
If Amorim is to see real improvement at Old Trafford next year, he will need as much firepower as possible up front. It could be the difference between United finishing in the bottom half, or in the European places.
They missed out on attackers Viktor Gyokeres and Liam Delap, and it now seems they are looking at a new Premier League star, who has generated a lot of interest from rivals Arsenal, who beat them to Gyokeres.
Man United ‘made early contact’ for Eberechi Eze
Crystal Palace attacker Eberechi Eze is in high demand this summer, with Arsenal the current front-runners to land the England international. Last year, Eze managed to score 14 goals and provide 11 assists for Palace, helping them to their first-ever FA Cup trophy.
The former Arsenal academy product seems likely to join the Gunners this summer, but seeing as he has a £68m release clause, any other team could still swoop in and land the 27-year-old.
According to a report by Caught Offside, Man United have ‘made early contact’ with Eze’s representatives alongside rivals Manchester City. However, it is not clear yet as to whether Eze is open to a move to Old Trafford, especially considering the reported interest from Arsenal.
If the English attacker were to join Man United, it would leave Amorim with a tough lineup decision, because he would likely play in one of the two number 10 roles, the same position that Mbeumo and Cunha play in. It is likely that if United were to bring Eze in, they would need to see at least one player sale instead, with the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho still expected to leave, amongst others.
Man United should prioritise a striker instead
Seeing as Eze plays a similar role to Cunha and Mbeumo, it would be a strange decision for United to spend big on the 27-year-old, and that doesn’t take away from the fact that Eze is an excellent attacker. But, Man United’s glaring need in attack now lies in the striker position, with Rasmus Hojlund struggling under Amorim last year. The Danish attacker netted just four goals in the Premier League, and United are keen to bring in a new number nine.
Current targets include Moise Kean, Dusan Vlahovic, and Aleksandar Mitrovic. Kean had arguably the best season out of the three last year, with the Fiorentina striker scoring 19 goals in the Serie A; He was the second-top scorer in the Italian top division. However, bringing in someone like Mitrovic would perhaps be the wisest decision regarding Hojlund, as the experienced Serbian international could mentor the Man United striker, and potentially help him to improve.