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Manchester United fought valiantly but ended up falling short in the FA Cup final against Manchester City and the encounter was yet another example of why Erik ten Hag is so desperate for attacking reinforcements ahead of next season.
United were without Anthony Martial who suffered yet another injury and this season once again proved that the Frenchman cannot be counted upon due to his poor injury record and his all-round lazy attitude.
Marcus Rashford led the line on Saturday and despite his best-ever season, the Mancunian still struggles when playing up top and is much more dangerous while playing down the left.
United need a top-class striker
Ten Hag wants to bring in an elite striker with Tottenham record goalscorer Harry Kane and Serie A champ Victor Osimhen of Napoli among his top targets.
Despite Kane’s contract situation and his desire to compete for trophies, there is a growing feeling at United that Daniel Levy will not allow the England captain from joining a direct rival.
And now TeamTalk have revealed that the Red Devils are prepared to walk away from the Osimhen deal as well due to Napoli’s abnormally high valuation of the striker.
The report also mentions that Chelsea were monitoring the Nigerian’s situation and were ready to enter the bidding war but now are backtracking due to the price put on the striker by the Serie A champions.
“TEAMtalk has been told United and Chelsea are ready to end their interest in Osimhen due to Napoli’s inflated valuation of him.
“The Serie A champions have no intention of selling Osimhen as they want to keep him for next season’s title defence and Champions League campaign.
“This is why they have given him that huge £150m price tag, and the scare tactics seem to have worked exactly as they were intended,” the report mentioned.
United pull out of Osimhen chase
The Naples-based outfit’s star man has a contract until June 2025 and therefore they are not in a position where they must cash in this summer.
The outlet also added that with Karim Benzema set to leave Real Madrid, the Los Blancos could enter the race and would be willing to go big on the Nigeria international.
It is easy to see why there is so much hype around Osimhen. The 24-year-old grabbed 31 goals in 39 games while also registering five assists.
United are preparing for life without their top two targets and that is showing with reports linking Atalanta starlet Rasmus Hojlund with a summer move to Old Trafford.
With United’s limited summer transfer budget and the need to strengthen across the board, it makes sense to not spend huge on one target and try to get the best options all over the pitch.
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