Man Utd ‘tempted’ by shock Jamie Vardy transfer as two surprising strikers shortlisted

Ciaran McCarthy 13 Feb 2025 10:06 PM

Manchester United could utilise the free agent market by going after Jamie Vardy

Manchester United could reportedly be ‘tempted’ to look into a free agent striker signing, with Jamie Vardy and another surprising Premier League striker eyed by the club.

United have splashed more than £100million on two strikers in the past two summers. In a year and a half, Rasmus Hojlund has 23 goals for the club – only two in the Premier League in 2024/25 – and Joshua Zirkzee has five goals in 36 games for the club so far.

The striker position is one the Red Devils would clearly like to improve again, but another big outlay might be difficult for the board to sign off on, and it would be devastating if they were also not to pull their weight.

As such, the Athletic reports there ‘could be a temptation’ for United to look into the free agent market.

Leicester striker Vardy and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin – both of whom are out of contract with their respective clubs in the summer – are the two surprising names mentioned.

Neither man is at their peak, with Vardy having scored seven Premier League goals this season at the age of 38.

The signing of the Foxes man would go against the slightly more youth-focussed regime at United at present, and names such as Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Boniface and Bryan Mbeumo – all mentioned in the report – could instead be pursued.

United have made unconventional striker signings before

United have form for signing strikers who do not seem like United players in the past, so if they were to land Vardy, it would be nothing new.

The loan signings of Odion Ighalo and Wout Weghorst in 2020 and 2023 respectively come to mind.

Ighalo was signed for a year from Shanghai Shenhua, and Weghorst from Championship side Burnley, so signing a 38-year-old Vardy might actually seem more normal than those additions.

That said, with United 13th in the Premier League at the moment, they surely need a better striker than Vardy, who will still useful, is no longer at the top of his game, and will only regress further as he closes in on 40.

Man Utd round-up: Osimhen may require sacrifice

United’s interest in Victor Osimhen has been reiterated, but it’s believed they could sacrifice Alejandro Garnacho for him.

Interest in Liam Delap and Benjamin Sesko has also been reported, with United conceding they’re unlikely to get Gyokeres due to it being likely they can’t offer Champions League football.

Meanwhile, United have been told that Alexander Isak is a better signing than Harry Kane would be.

And, the Red Devils are said to be keen on landing Bundesliga centre-back Castello Lukeba, with his agents looking to secure a ‘mega transfer’ for their client.