Man Utd 'main contenders' for incredible £94m summer signing as Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans transfer 'overhaul'

Manchester United are reportedly among two front-runners to land Napoli striker Victor Osimhen as Sir Jim Ratcliffe prepares for a massive summer overhaul of the playing squad.

Ratcliffe appears to be laying the foundations for a summer of major investment at United, following official confirmation of his arrival as a minority shareholder last month. The INEOS chief will hold a 25 per cent stake but has complete control of footballing operations, including transfer business.

This summer is expected to be a busy one at United as Ratcliffe and manager Erik ten Hag aim to make them competitive in the Premier League and in Europe once again. And The Independent reports that they could make a huge statement by moving for Osimhen.

The Nigerian is widely expected to leave Napoli this summer, having signed a new contract in December that included a release clause of €110m (£94.1m). A host of top European clubs including Arsenal and Chelsea hold a long-standing interest in the forward but it is United and French giants Paris Saint-Germain thought to be leading the race.

United will prioritise signing a world-class striker once again this summer, having spent £72m on Rasmus Hojlund in August. The Danish international has shown plenty of promise but is still only 20-years-old and would benefit from working alongside a more experienced teammate.

Anthony Martial is currently occupying that role but underwent surgery in January and is out until April. The Frenchman's contract expires in the summer and it is expected he leaves as a free agent, with the club opting against activating a 12-month extension.

PSG will have the money to spend, with Kylian Mbappe set to leave and predicted to join Real Madrid, ending a long and rather tedious saga. While he will leave Paris on a free, the Ligue 1 side are expected to save more than £150m per year by getting his wages off the books.

United do not have such an obvious route to funds and while Ratcliffe's investment was welcomed, profitability and sustainability constraints mean the transfer budget is not infinite. They will look to offset that with the sale of several first-team players, with multiple reports naming the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Casemiro, Scott McTominay and Jadon Sancho among a number of potential exits.