Man Utd offered £50m “complete forward”

One of many points with Manchester United’s present squad is the shortage of objectives upfront from strikers Joshua ZIrkzee and Rasmus Hojlund. Zirkzee is a participant who brings a lot extra apart from objectives, given his means to hyperlink up play, though Ruben Amoirm would maybe have favored to have seen him rating greater than the four goals he has managed thus far.

Hojlund is a participant who possesses nice expertise however has regarded in need of confidence at instances this season. He has scored seven goals within the 2024/25 marketing campaign, though simply two of these have come within the Premier League.

Marcus Rashford additionally appears set to depart the membership, with The Manchester Evening News reporting that Aston Villa are closing in on a late transfer for the 27-year-old.

To assist add objectives to their sides – and doubtlessly fill Rashford’s ‘void’ – United have been linked with a brand new striker within the last days of the switch window.

Man Utd’s seek for a striker

The participant in query right here is Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface. The 24-year-old Nigerian worldwide got here near a transfer to Saudi facet Al Nassr at first of the week, and though the deal broke down, he might nonetheless depart the German champions.

According to a report from journalist Graeme Bailey, United ‘have been made conscious of his scenario’ because of ‘historic curiosity’ they’ve in signing him, and will make a transfer earlier than the switch window slams shut on Monday.

The Saudi facet had agreed on a payment of £50m for the Nigerian, so it’s protected to imagine he might value United wherever upwards of that payment.

Nonetheless, they don’t seem to be the one Premier League facet to have been supplied the prospect to signal him. London trio Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have additionally been notified of his availability, as have Aston Villa, who want a alternative for Jhon Duran after his transfer to Al Nassr.

Why Boniface can be a superb signing

If there’s one factor Boniface will carry to United’s assault, it’s maybe the factor they want most; objectives. This season, he has managed to seek out the again of the web eight instances in 15 appearances in all competitions.

He made a robust begin to the 2024/25 marketing campaign, with six objectives and an help within the first ten Bundesliga video games, however an damage has since saved him sidelined. Nonetheless, that was definitely a competition of his kind the earlier season.

In arguably the perfect workforce of 2023/24, Boniface led the assault below Xabi Alonso fantastically. He managed 21 objectives and ten assists in 34 games, exhibiting why football talent scout Jacek Kulig described him as a “full ahead”.

Simply as he did this season, he began the 2023/24 on fireplace, with 9 objectives and assists in seven top-flight video games.

He has additionally managed to outperform Rashford over the previous few seasons. It has not been an easy couple of campaigns for the England worldwide, who has seven objectives throughout all competitions this season and managed simply eight final time period.

Nonetheless, he has an exemplary document at his boyhood membership, with 138 objectives to his title, in 426 appearances since making his debut again in 2015/16.

Ought to United handle to signal Boniface, he could possibly be their very own model of Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane. Former manager Erik ten Hag confirmed that the membership wished to carry the England captain to Previous Trafford in the summertime of 2023, however they “could not get him”, with the Bundesliga giants as a substitute profitable the race.

Of their seek for extra objectives, there isn’t any doubt that Kane would have introduced simply that to United. His document for Bayern is just excellent, with 70 objectives and 22 assists in just 72 games. He has been phenomenal.

The Pink Devils might need their very own model of Kane in the event that they signed the Nigerian striker. The pair are famous as related gamers throughout Europe’s prime 5 leagues, as per FBref, exhibiting simply how lethal Leverkusen’s quantity 22 could be in entrance of objective.

For instance, Boniface has an anticipated objectives per recreation of 0.89xG, in comparison with Kane’s 0.86xG. The Leverkusen star additionally averaged 3.7 shot-creating actions per recreation, with Kane solely barely extra, averaging 3.73 shot-creating actions per recreation.

This could possibly be a superb deal for United. For ‘simply’ £50m, they’d be beating a few of their largest rivals to a striker whose numbers are up there with the England captain, and who might definitely add objectives to their facet.

This could possibly be the precise deal Amorim wants to assist his facet push for a decent Premier League end.

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