Man Utd make decision on permanent Wout Weghorst signing
Manchester United’s number one priority for the summer transfer window is to sign a new first-choice number 9, with Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen high on their list of priority targets.
United have struggled to convert chances in the Premier League this season – scoring only 49 goals in 33 matches to date – and missed a host of chances in their late defeat to Brighton on Thursday night at the AMEX Stadium.
Manager Erik ten Hag knows that striking efficiency needs to be addressed as the chief port of call ahead of next season, and has recognised that current options Wout Weghorst and Anthony Martial are not capable of being primary centre forward options beyond the end of the current campaign.
Weghorst was signed on a six-month loan in January following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, and 90min understands United have made a decision not to extend the loan or seek a permanent deal for the 30-year-old, who is contracted to newly-promoted Burnley.
United paid £2.5m to secure the loan deal but will move on to other targets come the summer, with Weghorst only managing two goals in 26 appearances in all competitions to date. He is yet to score in a Premier League appearance for United.
Martial has taken the majority of the minutes Weghorst was receiving since his return from injury, and 90min has learned United are hoping to offload Martial in the right circumstances. Martial has missed 17 league games this season due to injury, while United would like to move on from his large wage packet as they enter the second summer of an overhaul of the playing squad.
Paris Saint-Germain have been long-term admirers of the 27-year-old and it’s understood United will not demand a huge fee if they’re to part ways with Martial, though it remains to be seen how much interest there will be in the player, who was sent on loan to Sevilla in the second half of last season.
Offloading Martial and deciding against the purchase of Weghorst would leave United short of centre forward options, though they do have the option to play Marcus Rashford through the middle if required. Rashford has, however, found his best position from the left of the attack under Ten Hag, and has enjoyed the best scoring season of his career with 29 in all competitions to date.
United would like to continue with Rashford from the left and find a long-term answer at centre forward to complement him, and the club have been exploring what it would take to convince Tottenham to part with Kane, the England captain.
Kane, along with Victor Osimhen – who this week won Serie A with Napoli – are among a batch of targets who would be ready to take the role of first choice centre forward straight away, while as reported last month, Dusan Vlahovic and Lautaro Martinez are considered alternative options.
United see another group of younger forwards as “project players”, with likely cheaper transfer fees and room for improvement under Ten Hag’s coaching. Moves for RB Leipzig-bound Benjamin Sesko, Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus and Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund have been explored.
The club have not yet made a decision on which target to press ahead with, but will look to do so over the coming weeks as the situation over the club’s ownership becomes clearer, while they are close to returning to next season’s Champions League.