According to reports, Manchester United have been ‘offered’ former Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran on an ‘initial loan deal’ from Al-Nassr.
At the moment,the Red Devils are focused on strengthening their attacking midfield department as they are hoping to secure a deal for Bryan Mbeumo to join Matheus Cunha in joining the Premier League giants this summer.
Mbeumo, like Cunha, would be a clear upgrade on Man Utd’s current options and these transfers are a step in the right direction, but they still have loads to do after finishing 15th in the Premier League last season.
One of United’s top priorities is to sign a striker as they remain in the market for a forward after missing out on Liam Delap to Chelsea.
While Man Utd are not exactly short of options, their failure to qualify for the Champions League has left them with a limited budget and they are unable to spend as freely as they would like.
United are also hampered by Arsenal and Liverpool also being in the market for a striker as the three sides have been linked with some of the same targets.
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£218m trio Viktor Gyokeres, Victor Osimhen and Hugo Ekitike are likely to move elsewhere, with three reasons given for Man Utd being set to miss out.
‘Amorim would like a reunion with Viktor Gyokeres but at this stage, his priority upon leaving Sporting CP appears to be Arsenal, while Victor Osimhen’s wages are viewed as too high at United. Frankfurt’s €100m price tag on Hugo Ekitike is beyond United’s current means.’
This could lead to Man Utd looking for a left-field solution and Duran has been an option.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a great start to this season as he scored 12 goals for Aston Villa, but he could not usurp Ollie Watkins in the pecking order and Aston Villa opted to cash in on the forward in January to balance the books.
Duran continued his great goalscoring form for Al-Nassr, scoring a further 12 goals in all competitions to take his tally for the season to 24.
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Despite this, reports in recent days have indicated that he is pushing for a speedy exit from Al-Nassr, with Fabrizio Romano revealing on Monday that he has an “agreement” with Turkish giants Fenerbahce.
He said: “Jhon Durán to Fenerbahçe, here we go! Agreement in place between all parties involved.
“Al Nassr let Durán leave on initial loan with full salary covered until June 2026.
“Durán has accepted Fener proposal after director Devin Özek travelled to Colombia.”
Romano has also revealed that the forward could have returned to the Premier League this summer, with Man Utd “offered” the chance to sign him.
He revealed: “Man United were offered the possibility of signing Jhon Duran from Al-Nassr on an initial loan deal covering his salary. But, Man United decided to turn down that possibility to focus on different targets.”