Man Utd rekindle interest in France spearhead with Amorim dreaming of attacking signing No 4 – report

Manchester United are reportedly ready to relaunch efforts to sign Jean-Phillipe Mateta next year, with the striker seemingly ready to move on from Crystal Palace – and TEAMtalk has delved into Ruben Amorim’s prospects of a deal and named the player they will look to move on to free up space in the squad.

The Red Devils invested heavily in strengthening their attack this summer, with some £200m-plus spent on Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko. While an immediate improvement to results has been slow on the uptake so far, Manchester United and Amorim will be under pressure to elevate themselves back into the upper echelons of the Premier League off the back of that significant spend.

So far, Mbeumo has two goals and one assist from eight games, while Sesko has matched that goal tally in the same number of appearances; Cunha has been a little slower to get going and is yet to contribute a G/A in his seven outings so far.

Despite that serious investment, Amorim is reportedly keen to further strengthen his attack next year and is, according to reports in Spain, on the lookout for the right opportunities to increase competition in their forward line.

To that end, Fichajes reports that the United boss is keen to resurrect his interest in signing Crystal Palace frontman, Mateta, and believes a potential deal is there to be done to take the France striker to Old Trafford.

The report claims that the 28-year-old frontman is ready to take his career to the next level, and United see the two-times capped France striker as a ‘solid’ option to strengthen their attacking options and with his ‘power’ wowing club chiefs.

However, Palace are, understandably, determined to tie him down to a new deal. They state that Mateta is seen as a ‘priority’ for Oliver Glasner and is seen as a ‘key figure’ in their side.

Despite that, fresh insight by our transfer reporter Fraser Fletcher has revealed whether United could look to revisit the signing having previously looked into a deal earlier this year…

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Man Utd stance on Mateta; Zirkzee likely to move on

Mateta’s current deal is due to expire in summer 2027, and he is now at a crucial phase in his career.

Having scored 30 goals for the Eagles over the last Premier League seasons – those coming in 72 games and giving him a strike rate of one every 2.4 appearances – it is easy to see why Mateta is a man in demand.

Recent recognition by France –  he started Monday’s 2-2 draw against Iceland, scoring in the 2-2 World Cup qualification draw against Iceland in Reykjavik on Monday – further underlines his progress.

To that end, we’ve been told Aston Villa are also among his admirers.

However, while United interest in him pre-dates the signing of Sesko – something our reporter Fletcher revealed was being explored back in May – a new update suggests a fresh move may not be on the cards.

And per Fletcher, United opted against a move in the summer, believing the player is too old for their preferred range and would not be considered as a first option by the club were they to bring in a new striker next year.

Palace, however, could green light his sale in summer 2026 if he fails to sign an extension in the coming months, and with the Eagles wary of letting another top star, after Marc Guehi, wind down his deal and potentially exit on a free.

Mateta himself has also fueled talk of a potential exit, with Fichajes quoting him as saying: “It’s natural for a player with aspirations to seek great challenges.”

Whether that results in a move to United, though, appears unlikely at this stage.

However, one player United are keen to move on to potentially free up space in the squad for a new striker, is Joshua Zirkzee.

The Netherlands forward was brought to Old Trafford at the insistence of former sporting director Dan Ashworth.

But with a mere seven goals in 53 games for the club, and never having established himself as either a striker or a No.10 – the player describes himself as “a nine and a half” – we reported last month that United are very much open to his departure in 2026.

Zirkzee is also reported to be deeply frustrated by his lack of game time at Old Trafford – he’s played just 74 minutes in the Premier League this season – and is seemingly increasingly open to returning to Italy, where he previously starred with Bologna.

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With a new striker seemingly on their agenda, United are also being linked with a big-money Italian frontman who recently made a move to Saudi Arabia.

Former Manchester United defender Danny Simpson, meanwhile, believes the club desperately need to take some heat off Sesko by bringing in an experienced former Premier League No.9 who can help ‘mentor him’.

Old Trafford legend Paul Scholes was also particularly critical of the club’s decision to rely solely on Sesko, who was harshly voted by agents as the worst signing of the summer.

On the outgoing front, United chiefs have seemingly made a firm decision on Kobbie Mainoo’s immediate future amid fresh claims he could push for a temporary move away from Old Trafford in the January window.

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Mateta’s stats for Palace down the years