Manchester United have been dealt a blow regarding their pursuit of a player who they recently made an enquiry about, with his stance made perfectly clear.
Latest Man Utd news
It has been a sobering start to life as Red Devils manager for Ruben Amorim, with the Portuguese suffering a 2-0 defeat away to Wolves in the Premier League on Boxing Day – their fifth loss in under a month, in all competitions.
While there is clearly no pressure on Amorim, with United’s new boss needing time to get his ideas across and bring in the right players, it hasn’t exactly been a sparkling open period in charge. Fourteenth in the league table is shocking for a club of such prestige and stature, and new signings in the January transfer window are badly needed.
Centre-back additions are arguably important, with a lack of top-quality options there currently, and veteran Barcelona centre-back Inigo Martinez has been linked with sealing a move to Old Trafford, as well as his teammate Dani Olmo. Both would add experience and quality in different areas of the pitch, with the latter potentially available on a free transfer, due to Barca’s financial issues.
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain left-back Nuno Mendes has been identified as a possible replacement for Luke Shaw, with the Englishman’s constant injury problems heightening the need for a long-term successor to be brought in.
Man Utd suffer blow in pursuit of striker
According to a new update from TEAMtalk, Victor Osimhen has no intention of joining Manchester United in the January window, instead wanting to make a decision at the end of the season after a fresh enquiry from the Red Devils.
The Nigerian is “fully focused” on Galatasaray currently, where he is on loan from Napoli, but he is allowed to join clubs from outside Italy for £62m if his release clause is triggered.
This is a potential blow for Amorim, who will surely be wanting attacking reinforcements in January, given the lack of firepower currently being provided by his forwards. The fact that Marcus Rashford looks likely to leave only makes it more important, while Joshua Zirkzee has also been linked with a quick exit after joining from Bologna.
While Rasmus Hojlund has clear potential, he is still a work in progress, so Osimhen could have been a more polished option next month, with Jose Mourinho once saying he is “world-class”.
From a United perspective, the hope is that the 25-year-old will see them as a strong option next summer, at which point his loan stint at Galatasaray will have reached its conclusion.
Osimhen is one of Europe’s top strikers on his day, and in many ways, it is a surprise that he didn’t join a higher-profile club than the Turkish side in the summer. He has scored 76 goals in 133 matches for Napoli, as well as 21 in 35 caps for Nigeria at international level.
Related
Man Utd need to upgrade on 4/10 star who was Ten Hag’s fifth-choice target
Manchester United’s grim December continued away at Molineux
If United were able to snap him up in 2025, it could be a shrewd piece of business, instantly making them more of a force under Amorim.