Manchester United

Manchester United

Premier League • England

Man Utd striker deal ‘agreed’ as final piece of the puzzle falls into place

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag during a training session at the Aon Training Complex, Greater Manchester

Erik ten Hag taking Manchester United training

A striker who’ll fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo has ‘agreed’ to join Man Utd, and a deal could quickly cross the line after his club opened talks with a replacement who, coincidentally, was also on Erik ten Hag’s radar, per a report.

Adding depth to Ten Hag’s frontline is Manchester United’s primary concern in the market this month. A tight budget prevented the Red Devils from lodging any official bids for Cody Gakpo, much to Liverpool’s delight.

A loan deal for Joao Felix then came into focus. However, Atletico are demanding a hefty £18.5m package for just a six-month stint, something United were never likely to accept.

Arsenal may wind up going above and beyond for the Portuguese after today’s Transfer Gossip detailed Arsenal’s hunt for more firepower. Difficulty landing Mykhaylo Mudryk may force the Gunners to funnel their funds into Felix instead.

Cheaper loan options have been touted, most notably Vincent Aboubakar and more recently Wout Weghorst.

The BBC reported Weghorst, 30, was on United’s radar, though a deal was far from straightforward given he’s currently on loan in Turkey.

The Burnley frontman is in the middle of a season-long loan with Besiktas and the deal doesn’t contain a break clause. As such, United must negotiate agreements with both Burnley and Besiktas.

The Turkish side’s sporting director recently detailed a chain of events that could result in Weghorst moving to Old Trafford.

Besiktas want some form of financial reward for cutting their loan deal short, especially as the deal contains an option to buy for just £8.8m and Weghorst has scored a goal every other game while there (nine in 18).

Regardless, a move for the 30-year-old Dutchman does appear to be on the cards following the latest out of France.

Weghorst agrees to join Man Utd; Besiktas move for replacement

FootMercato’s Santi Aouna reported Weghorst has ‘agreed’ to join Man Utd, and also stated Besiktas have opened talks with his direct replacement – Vincent Aboubakar.

There’s some uncertainty surrounding whether Aboubakar’s deal with Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr has already been terminated.

FootMercato claim it has, though CBS Sports’ Ben Jacobs reckons it remains in place. In any case, what is clear is Aboubakar is surplus to requirements following Ronaldo’s arrival, and his agent, Pini Zahavi, is now in dialogue with Besiktas.

Aboubakar thrived during two previous stints at Besiktas. He plundered 35 goals in 67 outings while on loan in the 2016-17 campaign and when signed outright for the 2020-21 season.

A move therefore looks straightforward, and with a replacement for Weghorst lined up, the Burnley centre-forward will soon be free to move to Manchester.

Weghorst scored just twice in 20 Premier League appearances for the Clarets last season.

His arrival at Old Trafford won’t set pulses racing, though neither did Odion Ighalo’s when signing on loan at the beginning of 2021 and he proved a worthy short-term fix at the time.

Fabrizio Romano subsequently reported Ten Hag would like to add Weghorst to his ranks and the player would ‘love’ to join Man Utd.

The ball is now in United’s court to strike agreements over the termination of his loan at Besiktas, as well as forging a new deal with Burnley.

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