Man United’s striker search leads them to Serie A star

Manchester United face Aston Villa on Thursday evening in the third round of the Carabao Cup, just four days after being beaten 3-1 by The Villans in the Premier League.

Erik ten Hag’s side were outclassed by their opponents on Sunday in what was Unai Emery’s first game in charge of the club, and they will now be looking to restore some dignity when they welcome Villa to Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo could once again lead the line for United, despite continued speculation surrounding the 37-year-old’s future.

Ronaldo was heavily linked with a move away from the club over the summer after reportedly becoming unsettled, and that speculation has been increased by his lack of playing time this term.

If Ronaldo does leave, United have reportedly identified a Serie A star as a possible replacement for the Portugal international.

As reported by The Manchester Evening News, The Red Devils are considering a move for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.

The Nigerian has started the season well, scoring nine goals in 13 matches, as well as providing three assists.

His form has been key to Napoli’s spectacular start to the new campaign, with the Italian side having lost just once in 20 matches across the league and Champions League.

Osimhen has started the season in fine form

According to the report, Osimhen is on a list of potential targets drafted up by the club, as they plan for life without Ronaldo.

Osimhen joined Napoli from French side Lille in 2020, for a fee of around £68 million.

He had been impressive in the French top flight previously, scoring 18 goals in 38 matches for Lille.

The player, a club record signing for Napoli, is contracted to the Serie A side until 2025, which means that they are under little pressure to sell next summer.

Napoli will be keen to avoid a repeat of the Kalidou Koulibaly situation, though, with the defender having been valued at around £100 million a few years ago before being sold to Chelsea for just £33 million this summer.

Signing Osimhen may not be easy, though, as a number fo Europe’s top clubs are likely to be in the market for a striker next year.

Aside from Ronaldo, Anthony Martial is United’s only other recognised centre-forward, although Marcus Rashford has been used centrally quite often in the past.

The report claims that the feeling within the club is that they have an excessive amount of right-footed attackers, hence Ten Hag pushing to sign Antony during the recent transfer window.