Man Utd now looking to sign £354k-p/w “monster”

Manchester United will be hoping they can turn their torrid form around against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon. The Red Devils have been in horrendous form, winning just one game out of their last five in all competitions.

Whilst a trip to their big rivals and the side who top the Premier League currently seems like a daunting task, it is not out of the question that they can win. After all, they did beat Manchester City away from home five games ago.

If United do lose, the misery will simply continue to pile on. It might not be long before Ruben Amorim’s side turn to the transfer market for a new addition.

Man United’s reported January target

Unsurprisingly with a club like United, the transfer rumours have already begun pouring in, even though the January window is just days old. One of the players who has been linked with Old Trafford is Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.

According to a report from journalist Enrico Camelio, talking on Italian radio station Radio Lo Sport, United could look to make a move for the Serbian striker. He believes that the ‘idea is plausible’, but there would be a catch.

In order for the 24-year-old to switch the Old Lady for the Red Devils, United striker Joshua Zirkzee would have to go the other way. Camelio explained that ‘there is an idea of ​​an exchange’ between the two clubs, which would see the Dutchman reunite with his former head coach at Bologna, Thiago Motta.

At this stage, it is unclear where any money would also be involved in the deal. With that being said, Juve might want to recoup some of the £66.6m they spent on the Serb back in January 2022 when they bought him from Fiorentina.

Why Vlahovic would be a good signing

It has been a fairly successful season so far for Juventus’ number nine. The Serb has scored 12 goals and has two assists in 22 games across all competitions, including seven strikes in the Serie A and four in five Champions League games so far.

His record for Juve as a whole is pretty impressive. In 123 games for the Italian giants, he has 53 goals and 11 assists. On average, he gets a goal involvement every other appearance. That goes along with his 49 goals in 108 games for Fiorentina.

His best season in Turin came in the 2023/24 campaign. The £354k-per-week striker scored 16 goals and notched up three assists in 33 Serie A games.

On the face of things, that is exactly what United need from their striker. That is to say, a genuine goalscorer who knows where the back of the net is. It is simply something they have not had this term.

However, this deal may become even more appealing to the Red Devils faithful when the comparisons between Vlahovic and their legendary striker, Robin van Persie, are drawn. When laid out, they are clearly similar players.

The Dutchman was one of the finest strikers of his generation, and for United he was simply unstoppable. Van Persie bagged 58 goals and 15 assists in 105 appearances for the club.

Arguably his finest hour in that famous red shirt was his title-winning hat trick in 2012/13, Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season. In that campaign, the Dutchman scored 26 times in 38 games.

He is one of the purest goalscorers in the club’s history, and the similarities with Vlahovic are there. They were pointed out by football scout Ben Mattinson, who listed some of their shared attributes including their “killer left foot”, before explaining that he “could easily be talking about either Van Persie or Vlahovic”.

Indeed, the fact both players are left-footed, physically dominant players who have powerful ball-striking ability is a scary similarity. There is no doubting United fans would love to see Amorim sign his own version of their legendary striker.

The “monster” centre-forward, as Mattinson described Vlahovic, could be the man United need to help take them back to the top. It has been a poor run of form, but bringing the Serbian striker in this month could transform their fortunes.