Manchester United are keen to sign an attacker who featured in the World Cup final and are aiming to win the race to sign him with a January bid, according to a report.
A new attacker is required at Old Trafford after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has joined Al Nassr. Erik ten Hag will be keen to find someone else he can rely on up front. Of all the teams currently in the top half of the Premier League, only Chelsea have scored fewer goals than Man Utd so far this season.
Ten Hag recently confirmed he was looking for quality cover, but any incoming player had to be right for the squad.
A plethora of strikers have been linked with Man Utd ever since Ronaldo’s departure. One of the latest is Randal Kolo Muani, who is currently playing for Eintracht Frankfurt and represented France at the World Cup.
Kolo Muani scored in the semi-final in Qatar, less than a minute after coming on against Morocco. The quick impact he made helped raise his profile.
He went on to feature in the final too, scoring his penalty in the shootout despite his nation losing to Argentina. Still, the striker is now on the radar of some big clubs across Europe.
The likes of Tottenham and Liverpool have already been linked with Kolo Muani. Now, Man Utd appear to have come into contention for his signature.
According to L’Equipe, the Red Devils are interested in the 24-year-old, who only joined Eintracht Frankfurt over the summer.
In fact, Man Utd are putting together a €60million (£53million) offer for Kolo Muani. Given that his current club signed him on a free transfer, there could be a substantial profit for the Bundesliga side.
Man Utd strategy for Randal Kolo Muani might not work
However, the report warns that Kolo Muani would prefer to stay where he is right now. He is enjoying his time in the Bundesliga as things stand, given it has been a fairly recent change.
There could be another way for him to continue in Germany, since Bayern Munich have expressed an interest in him as well via his entourage.
In that case, the Bundesliga champions would prefer a summer transfer anyway, which may suit Kolo Muani and Eintracht Frankfurt.
Therefore, Man Utd might have to rethink their own strategy in order to win the race to sign Kolo Muani if he doesn’t want a winter move.
In his Eintracht Frankfurt career so far, Kolo Muani has scored eight goals from 23 appearances, as well as providing 11 assists.
Mainly a centre-forward but also capable of playing on the right wing, his versatility could benefit whoever he joins next. But there is no rush in terms of his next decision.
Therefore, Man Utd’s proposed bid might fall on deaf ears. But since Kolo Muani still has a lot of his career ahead of him, he might be someone to remember for future transfer windows.
If they need a short-term solution for the rest of the season, though, Man Utd will have to mull over some alternative ideas.