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Manchester United are reportedly ‘intensifying’ their monitoring of an in-form Serie A striker as they are looking for ‘cheaper’ alternatives to Viktor Gyokeres.
Man United have already made it clear that they are going to recruit for next season. They will have to if they have any hope of coming back from what was a woeful season, in which they finished 15th in the Premier League.
The Red Devils have had their eyes on some star players for some time: Sporting CP striker Gyokeres among them. However, financing a deal for the 54-goal Swede, and convincing him through the door, now seems unlikely.
Indeed, United missed their shot at Champions League football when Tottenham beat them in the Europa League final, and Gyokeres scored six goals in this season’s elite European competition, and will surely want to build on that.
As such, Italian outlet Sport Mediaset reports United could focus on Moise Kean as an alternative to ‘much more expensive options’ like Gyokeres.
He has a €52million (£43.6m) release clause which is active for the first 15 days of July, and the report states United have ‘intensified’ their monitoring of Kean given he could be a ‘cheaper solution’ to Gyokeres.
With 25 goals in the season just gone, including 19 in Serie A – the second-highest tally in the division – Kean could well be a good option, despite having performed below those standards when he played in the Premier League previously.
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No Europe could hurt United
The report states that Fiorentina’s potential failure to ‘participate in European competitions’ was a risk to them keeping hold of Kean.
But the Serie A side won on the final day to confirm a spot in the UEFA Conference League for next season.
Meanwhile, a recent report on United’s chase of Kean stated he would consider a move to Old Trafford if they both qualified for the Champions League and made a ‘sufficiently attractive financial offer’.
One of those things is not possible, and the loss of revenue without European football could see the other hard to achieve, too.
As such, Kean could choose another side instead of United, where his chance of success could be much better. Staying at Fiorentina might also be more likely than moving to Manchester given European football is on offer in at least some capacity.
Man Utd round-up: Gyokeres deal dead
It seems United’s chances of landing Gyokeres are essentially dead, with Florian Plettenberg stating it is “now almost off the table.”
He states that a move to Old Trafford is “not the player’s objective.”
However, another forward signing is close to being made by United, after Fabrizio Romano gave a ‘here we go’ to Matheus Cunha’s move from Wolves.
Meanwhile, United are believed to be ready to compromise on the fee needed for somebody – Napoli are the most interested – to sign Alejandro Garnacho, as the Naples club aren’t expected to match the previous asking price of £60-70million, but £50million should suffice.
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