Man Utd striker signing: Top source reveals Ten Hag has made final decision on his next goalscorer, as second pursuit begins

A trusted journalist has revealed which striker Erik ten Hag wants most to lead the Manchester United attack next season, with the manager also eager to improve another position once the forward area is sorted.

Man Utd’s current centre-forward is Wout Weghorst, who is on loan from Burnley. The 30-year-old has impressed Ten Hag by working hard for the team and helping the likes of Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes to shine.

It is likely Ten Hag will try to sign Weghorst permanently from Burnley this summer. However, Weghorst does not have the eye for goal needed to be Man Utd’s main goalscorer. He has managed to find the back of the net just twice in 19 appearances for the Red Devils so far.

Against Newcastle United on Sunday, Weghorst failed to even register a shot on target and only actually touched the ball on 10 occasions.

With Man Utd likely to offload Anthony Martial later this year, there will be space in the squad for Weghorst to become the backup striker. And Ten Hag will then go all out to bring a world-class striker to Old Trafford.

Laurie Whitwell, who covers Man Utd for The Athletic, has looked at the state of play regarding the club’s transfer hunt.

READ MORE: Ten Hag plots sensational Man Utd swoop for £193m duo touted as Europe’s next biggest stars

He reveals that senior Man Utd officials have looked into Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, Goncalo Ramos of Benfica and Brighton starlet Evan Ferguson. They have also been made aware that Randal Kolo Muani of Eintracht Frankfurt and Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund could be available for transfer this summer.

But the striker Ten Hag is set on landing is Tottenham talisman Harry Kane.

Harry Kane the player Ten Hag desires most

He is the ‘prime’ player in Ten Hag’s mind, which means Man Utd will push hard to sign him from Spurs.

Of course, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is an extremely hard negotiator and he will not want to strengthen Man Utd under any circumstances. But with Kane out of contract next year, there is the real possibility of the English captain securing a transfer this summer.

An important factor to consider is Spurs’ pursuit of a new head coach. If they manage to bring in a big name such as Mauricio Pochettino or Julian Nagelsmann, then Kane could be convinced to stay and sign a new deal.

But if the new Spurs boss does not meet his expectations, then he will likely try to find a new club.

There have been some rumours about Kane going abroad, such as by signing for Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain. However, he has his sights fully set on breaking Alan Shearer’s Premier League scoring record. And by moving to Man Utd, he could potentially win some silverware and break that record too.

Once Man Utd have sorted the striker position, they will then get to work on snaring a new midfielder. Whitwell writes that Ten Hag wants a top-class player in the style of a number eight who can operate alongside Casemiro.

One option is Marcel Sabitzer, who is on loan at Man Utd from Bayern. But if a better alternative comes onto the market, Man Utd will spend big to bring them in.

Meanwhile, transfer insider Graeme Bailey has provided TEAMtalk with an exclusive update on Mason Greenwood’s future.