Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd scout attending every single game £53m striker target is playing as pursuit intensifies

England strikers Harry Kane and Tammy Abraham

Man Utd are “above all” other Premier League suitors for the signature of a striker they are clearly doing plenty of research on, according to a report.

All eyes will be on who Man Utd can bring in to strengthen their attack in the summer. As things stand, they are relying on Wout Weghorst until the end of the season, when his loan deal from Burnley will come to an end.

Weghorst probably knows he is only a short-term fix, so it won’t be too much of a surprise to see Man Utd cut ties with him in the summer in favour of someone else for the long term.

To fill their void at centre-forward, Man Utd have shortlisted a few options. Among them is Tammy Abraham, whom they could bring back to the Premier League from Serie A side Roma.

Abraham was sensational for Roma last season, but has lost his place as a regular starter after a downturn in fortunes this time around. Therefore, there has been some speculation that he could return to his native country.

Chelsea have an €80million (£70.6m) buyback clause for Abraham, although it might not be wise to pay that much for an out-of-form player. Therefore, there are other contenders who might make lower bids.

For example, a recent report suggested Aston Villa are willing to pay €40m (£35.3m) to bring back their former loanee.

But the latest from La Repubblica indicates that Roma are wanting more for Abraham. Moreover, Man Utd are actually “above all” in the race to take him back to the Premier League.

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According to La Repubblica‘s report, Roma have set an asking price of €60m (£53m) for Abraham. It would make him their second most expensive export ever after Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.

Doing business for that kind of price is something Man Utd are more used to, though. The Red Devils have broken the €60m barrier to sign nine players within the past 10 years.

And per the Italian report, one of their scouts is watching Abraham’s every move. Indeed, Man Utd have an observer attending every Roma match to watch the 25-year-old.

Tammy Abraham fading from prominence – but Man Utd still on alert

They might not be able to feed back too much from recent weeks. Abraham has only started one of Roma’s past four Serie A matches.

In all competitions, he hasn’t scored in any of his most recent 10 appearances. As a result, Roma have decided he is expendable for the right price.

It might just play into Man Utd’s hands if they decide to put their faith in the former Chelsea man. They would be taking a calculated risk in the hope he can rediscover the form that enabled him to score 27 goals last season.

Man Utd have first-hand experience of seeing how a forward can bounce back from a season of struggle. Indeed, Marcus Rashford has taken his game to a whole new level this season after struggling for inspiration last term.

Whether Abraham can get back to his best is another matter, but time is on his side.

In all honesty, he might have to join someone like Aston Villa next to prove himself again. He could then potentially aim higher with Man Utd as he reaches his peak.

There would be high expectations and significant pressure at Man Utd. Although that is the case at most clubs, Abraham could face questions of whether he is of the standard required at Old Trafford.

But he clearly seems to be under serious consideration by the club. Presumably, their scout will be hoping to see more of him in the weeks ahead to make their time worthwhile.

Meanwhile, the next move for a Man Utd forward who’s “not at the level many thought” has been named.