Manchester United are sizing up a lethal 20-year-old striker with 20 goals to his name this season amid a growing realisation Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko are ‘likely to be out of reach’ for one sobering reason.
Signing a new striker is a priority for Man Utd in the summer, with their primary options at present failing to convince. Rasmus Hojlund extended his streak of matches without scoring to 20 when failing to find the net against Arsenal on Sunday. Joshua Zirkzee has shown signs of life in recent weeks, though in one of the two No 10 positions and not up front.
United are casting their net far and wide, with Victor Osimhen, Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko and Liam Delap just four of countless more strikers under the microscope.
But according to a fresh update from GiveMeSport, Gyokeres and Sesko are ‘likely to be out of reach.’
Explaining why, it was claimed the pair are expected to be ‘put off’ by Man Utd looking like they’ll have no European football on offer.
With United languishing in 14th spot in the Premier League and out of both domestic cups, their only route to European football is winning the Europa League. Achieving that would secure entry into next year’s Champions League.
But United have shown little to indicate they can go all the way in this year’s Europa League and failure to do so would, per the report, result in Gyokeres and Sesko turning their nose up at United.
The last season Man Utd weren’t involved in any European competition was a decade ago in the 2014/15 campaign.
Prior to that you have to go all the way back to the 1989/90 season at a time when English sides were banned from participating in European tournaments.
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Man Utd eyeing 20-goal striker instead
With Gyokeres and Sesko both potentially unavailable to Man Utd, GMS named a new striker fast emerging on the Red Devils’ radar.
FC Porto’s Samu Aghehowa – who came close to joining Chelsea last summer – was cited in the piece.
The 20-year-old has bagged 20 goals across all competitions (14 in Primeira Liga, six in Europa League) since completing a transfer from Atletico Madrid last summer.
Porto are protected by a hefty €100m/£84m release clause inserted into their frontman’s contract. It stands to reason Man Utd would attempt to sign Aghehowa for a fee well below that sum if acting on their interest.
And crucially for Man Utd, GMS suggested Aghehowa wouldn’t share the same reservations about joining Man Utd if there’s no European football on offer.
The report concluded by noting Man Utd believe Aghehowa represents a more ‘attainable’ target compared to most strikers on their shortlist.
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IN PROFILE: Who is Samu Aghehowa?
By*Samuel Bannister*
If you were to design a striker with all the assets to succeed in the modern game, your creation might look something like Samu Aghehowa.
The striker is quick, creative and clever; powerful, physical and precise. And his recent form proves he knows where the back of the net is.
Aghehowa’s back story is an interesting one. He was born in the autonomous Spanish city of Melilla, which is actually situated on the coast of north Africa. He grew up in Seville and his first club as a professional was Granada, about 250km away in Andalusia.
His time there unlocked a door to an even higher level of football. After an 18-goal season for Granada’s reserves in the 2022-23 season, he was rewarded with his first team debut that August against Atletico Madrid – and he scored. Seven days later, Atletico bought him and gave him a five-year contract.
However, he was on the move again five days later, as Atletico sent him on loan to Alaves for further experience in LaLiga. He scored eight goals for his temporary side, catching the attention of clubs across Europe and in the Premier League.
Chelsea took a look in the summer 2024 transfer window, for example. But it was Porto who won the race to sign him before he had even had the chance to make his competitive debut for Atletico (who instead invested in Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez as their new strikers).
And the current campaign has all the ingredients for being a breakout year for Aghehowa, whose recent brace against Manchester United in the Europa League took him to seven goals for the season already.
Throw in the Olympic gold medal he won with Spain’s U23 male football team this summer and it’s safe to say Aghehowa has made a name for himself in 2024. Where will 2025 take him?