Man Utd join race for "new" £85m striker target who's a Neymar & Mbappe mix

Manchester United now want to “advance” a move for a £85m striker, who’s a “mix” between Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, according to reporter Ben Jacobs.

Man Utd’s striker pursuit heating up

Signing a new striker is on the agenda of a number of the Premier League’s biggest clubs, and Man United are no exception, but they will have to be willing to spend big to lure one of Europe’s top centre-forwards to Old Trafford this summer.

The pursuit of a new striker comes amid widespread criticism of United’s current first-choice option, Rasmus Hojlund, with the Stretford Paddock’s Adam McKola singling the Dane and Andre Onana out for criticism during the 2-2 draw away at Lyon in April.

With Inter Milan now making progress in their pursuit of Hojlund, there may be funds to bring in a top-level replacement, and a “new name” has now emerged as a potential target, Jacobs has revealed to The United Stand, via GiveMeSport.

The reporter said: “They’re running data on some other names as well, including Hugo Ekitike, which is a new name that I can bring to the mix too.

“Liverpool are very interested, Chelsea have held some talks as well, but nothing’s going to happen in the next days with Hugo Ekitike either and Frankfurt want €100million, so he’s actually more expensive than Viktor Gyokeres.

“So right now, I’m told, if Manchester United can do Gyokeres, they would like to advance on it, but it will all depend on the overall cost and other suitors, and that’s why some of these other names are also concurrently being discussed.”

Free-scoring Ekitike likened to Neymar and Mbappe

Ekitike failed to make the same impact at the Parc des Princes as his former teammates, but having kicked on since leaving Paris Saint-Germain, he has been compared to Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Wesley Sneijder said: “I think he’s a mix between Neymar and [Kylian] Mbappé. I sincerely think so. He has the grace of Neymar, but also the movements of Mbappé.

“To suddenly accelerate, that’s something that Mbappé also has. And he’s only 22 years old. There’s really a lot of potential in this boy.”

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The Red Devils have now expressed a willingness to make a bid for a forward.

The high praise from Sneijder came during a fantastic 2024-25 campaign for the French forward, during which he amassed 22 goals and 12 assists in 48 matches in all competitions for Eintracht Frankfurt, putting himself in the shop window for a summer move.

That said, while the Frankfurt star certainly caught the eye last season, a fee of €100m (£85m) is a tad high off the back of one prolific season, so the likes of David, Gyokeres and Osimhen could be preferable options.