Manchester United will sign a striker regardless of who their manager is and have Brentford s Ivan Toney on their summer shortlist, according to reports.
The Red Devils are prioritising signing a new frontman following Anthony Martial s departure.
The Frenchman s exit leaves 2023 signing Rasmus Hojlund as the only recognised striker in Erik ten Hag s squad.
Given Martial s injury problems, there was a lot of pressure on Hojlund to lead the line in 2023/24 and that pressure clearly took its toll.
He scored a respectable 16 goals across all competitions in his debut season at Old Trafford but the Dane did not score his first Premier League goal until Boxing Day, his 15th top-flight appearance of the campaign.
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A muscle injury in February halted a superb run of form for Hojlund who scored seven goals and made two assists in six appearances between December 26 and February 18.
Finding competition for the 21-year-old will be a huge priority for Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team, and it has been reported that Toney is one of three players being looked at closely by .
Man Utd narrow down striker shortlist to three including Arsenal target
According to , Ten Hag s side have drawn up a list of striker targets ahead of the summer transfer window and Brentford want at least £50million for Toney, who is entering the final year of his contract.
Also on their shortlist is Lille hitman Jonathan David and Arsenal and AC Milan-linked Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee.
The former has been linked with a transfer to the Premier League for what feels like an eternity but has never appeared close to moving to England despite links to Arsenal, West Ham, and many others.
Zirkzee impressed for Bologna in 2023/24, helping the Italian side defy the odds to qualify for the Champions League.
The report adds that Benjamin Sesko has also been heavily scouted but a move has been ruled out after the 20-year-old decided to sign a new contract at RB Leipzig, snubbing interest from the Red Devils, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Man Utd are conscious of giving Hojlund more competition up front and are attracted to Zirkzee s £34m release clause, .
While Zirkzee is an interesting proposition, it is noted that the Premier League club are particularly interested in David and Toney as both players are out of contract in 2025.
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Another striker United have been monitoring is Ajax s Brian Brobbey, though much of their interest has been driven by Erik ten Hag who bloody loves an Eredivisie signing.
It is unclear whether or not Ten Hag will remain in charge as the Red Devils continue to undergo an end-of-season review.
