Man Utd eye Victor Osimhen in cut-price transfer as Ruben Amorim preference revealed

Manchester look set for a busy summer in the transfer window and head coach Ruben Amorim appears keen to replenish his forward line at Old Trafford in the coming months

Manchester United are pushing ahead with a £40million deal to sign Victor Osimhen this summer. United boss Ruben Amorim has made Napoli forward Osimhen – currently on loan at Galatasaray – his top striker transfer target this summer.

United have struggled for goals this season and Amorim sees 26-year-old Osimhen as the perfect player to solve that problem. As well as his proven scoring prowess – he has 29 goals from 34 games this season – Osimhen is heading into the last year of his contract with Napoli.

That means Napoli must sell him or risk losing him for nothing next year, with United – operating under financial constraints because of profit and sustainability rules – confident they can land the Nigeria international for a fee considerably lower than his market value.

Osimhen fits the age profile at United, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe keen to build a squad of young players with the potential to grow together, as well as having resale value in the transfer market. United are also looking at Ipswich striker Liam Delap, who will also be available for £30m this summer, but Amorim is understood to favour a move for Osimhen, given his greater experience and proven ability to score in Europe.

As well as being a prolific goalscorer, Osimhen has Champions League experience and fired Napoli to the Serie A title in 2022-23, their first league success for 33 years. Osimhen would not be fazed at the prospect of leading United’s attack, something that has proved too much for £72m signing Rasmus Hojlund, who has a solitary goal in his last 28 appearances for Amorim’s side.

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With Joshua Zirkzee out for the season, Amorim has no choice but to persist with Hojlund leading United’s attack, although the Portuguese boss has experimented with Kobbie Mainoo playing in a more advanced role.

United, who are also hopeful of signing Matheus Cunha from Wolves, will look to sell players this summer to help fund the rebuild of Amorim’s squad, with Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony all to be sold, with Casemiro and Alejandro Garnacho likely to be offloaded as well for the right price.

Speaking earlier this month, Amorim noted the importance of the summer transfer window. The head coach said: “There are characteristics we don’t have in our squad and we are trying to see about the gaps we have.

“When I say we need ‘big players’ I’m not talking about players from Real Madrid. I am talking about players in the way I see the game. Of course money helps!

“We need to be really good in recruitment. We need to know our system and the way we play – and the players have to be perfect for their positions. So we know what we have to do, that is clear, and we will see next season.”

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