Man Utd put £60m attacker transfer in motion after Ten Hag disappointment in current forward sparks Chelsea hijack

Erik ten Hag’s disappointment at not being able to rely upon a Man Utd striker has sparked the idea of signing a thrilling forward Chelsea bid for last summer, per reports.

Chelsea splashed out north of £250m in the first window with their new ownership at the helm. On the attacking front, Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang arrived as the Blues sought to add a more clinical edge.

Despite looking more potent in recent matches, Chelsea still trail their top six rivals in the goals department by some distance.

Indeed, the 13 league goals they’ve scored pales in comparison to Man City (33), Arsenal (23), Tottenham (22) and Liverpool (20). Only Man Utd with 13 goals to their name are struggling as much as Chelsea.

A bluntness in attack was clearly predicted by the Blues decision-makers over the summer. Aside from Sterling and Aubameyang, they also bid for AC Milan’s Rafael Leao and completed the early stages of a Christopher Nkunku transfer for 2023.

Regarding Leao, Milan chief Paolo Maldini recently confirmed Chelsea did bid for their Portuguese attacker.

They may well revisit that deal in a future window with the 23-year-old looking like his future lays away from the San Siro. His current contract expires in 2024, though the Mirror suggest he won’t pen fresh terms.

However, the newspaper also report Man Utd like what they’ve seen and have put the wheels in motion over a transfer to Old Trafford.

They state Man Utd are ‘monitoring’ Leao who is valued by Milan at £60m.

Furthermore, the Red Devils sent scouts to observe Leao during both of Milan’s Champions League clashes with Chelsea earlier this month.

The report reaffirms a contract extension in Milan isn’t looking likely. As such, The Rossoneri may wish to cash in while they still can in 2023, with a Man Utd move reportedly more likely next summer than in January.

Ten Hag can’t rely on Anthony Martial

Sparking Manchester United and Ten Hag’s interest in the Portugal international is their apparent disappointment in Anthony Martial.

The Frenchman began pre-season in fine form, scoring in each of his first three matches while playing up front.

However, injuries have ravaged his campaign thus far, with Martial fit enough for just 134 minutes of action across all competitions.

He’s done little wrong in that time, quite the contrary in fact. Martial has three goals and two assists in just four appearances, but his repeated fitness problems have ‘prompted Ten Hag’ to reluctantly ‘look at other options’.

Leao is one such avenue United could explore and they’ve taken the first step by scouting him in the Chelsea clashes.

He can operate anywhere across the frontline and rose to prominence last season. His 11 goals and 10 assists in the league helped fire AC to their first Serie A title in over a decade.

Ten Hag seemingly hopes Leao could have a similar impact if joining Manchester United.

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