Ten Hag urged to snub goal machine in Man Utd striker U-turn, as £70m alternative comes into view

Manchester United have surprisingly been warned by one of their former players not to sign Serhou Guirassy, despite the centre-forward being in unbelievable form this season.

Guirassy is one of the deadliest attackers in Europe right now, having registered an incredible 18 goals in 14 matches so far. That includes Bundesliga hat-tricks against Mainz and Wolfsburg.

Only new Bayern Munich ace Harry Kane has netted more Bundesliga goals than Guirassy this season, which shows just how well he is doing.

Stuttgart only signed the 27-year-old in the summer, following his initial loan spell with the club last season, but they are already having to prepare for life without him.

His bargain release clause, which stands at just £15million, means a host of Premier League and European clubs are chasing a deal.

Man Utd, Newcastle United, West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham are just some of the English sides in the mix, while further afield there is interest from AC Milan.

READ MORE: Selfish Man Utd pair blamed for Rasmus Hojlund struggles but Glazers hammered for signing the wrong striker

On Thursday, TEAMtalk exclusively revealed that the race for Guirassy’s services is likely to come down to which club offers him the best contract, as most teams will be able to match his release clause.

English teams are likely to blow their European competitors out of the water, too.

Serhou Guirassy not at Man Utd level, says pundit

It has previously been suggested that Man Utd are preparing to hold ‘concrete talks’ with Guirassy and his agent over a winter move. But former defender Mikael Silvestre, who played 361 games for Man Utd between 1999 and 2008, does not think the Guinea international is the solution to Erik ten Hag’s problems at Man Utd.

“I don’t think Guirassy has the level to play for United, so I would go elsewhere in terms of a striker,” Silvestre said in a recent interview (via Manchester Evening News). “I think [Rasmus] Hojlund will succeed at United, he just needs a bit more time. The dynamic of the team right now is not great, but I believe he can succeed.”

Should Man Utd listen to Silvestre and end their interest in Guirassy, then this would give the likes of West Ham, Newcastle and Spurs a boost in their respective bids to sign him.

Guirassy is not the only striker Man Utd have on their radar, either. On Tuesday, TEAMtalk exclusively revealed that the Red Devils are also eager to sign Lois Openda, who has been shining for RB Leipzig this season.

Openda is third in the Bundesliga scoring charts, having netted 10 times in 14 appearances.

Openda has a £70m release clause in his Leipzig deal, though it does not become active until summer 2025. This means he will be far more expensive to sign than Guirassy.

Although, the Belgian is four years younger than Guirassy, at 23. Therefore, his lofty price tag could be justified by the fact that he is only going to get better with experience.

Meanwhile, Man Utd will not have to face a crucial Liverpool star on Sunday, as Jurgen Klopp has confirmed his rather gruesome injury.