Manchester United have been ‘offered’ the chance to sign a PSG striker who scored roughly one goal every 90 minutes this season, while links to two other frontmen should not be taken seriously at this stage, according to a report.
Man Utd aim to field an entirely new front three next season as part of Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation. Matheus Cunha will line up in one of the dual No 10 roles behind the striker. If United get their way, he’ll be partnered by Bryan Mbeumo.
With Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund proving they’re not the answer at the tip of the attack, a new No 9 will complete the final third rebuild.
Man Utd had attempted to fill the void with Liam Delap. However, defeat in the Europa League final and missing out on Champions League football cost the Red Devils dearly.
Instead, Delap chose to sign for Chelsea who officially confirmed the 22-year-old’s arrival on Wednesday night.
As you might expect, all manner of strikers have since been indexed with moves to Man Utd and a fresh report from The Daily Mail has provided much-needed clarity.
Firstly, their specialist Man Utd reporter, Nathan Salt, insisted United fans should not put much stock in links to Benjamin Sesko and Aleksandar Mitrovic right now.
‘Don’t read too much into reports about RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko or former Fulham man Aleksandar Mitrovic at this stage,’ wrote Salt.
Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres remains a player of interest to United, though for multiple reasons including the lack of European football and high cost of doing business, that move was also played down.
Instead, The Mail reporter revealed Man Utd have been ‘offered’ PSG’s Goncalo Ramos who has the green light to leave after being deemed surplus to requirements.
Man Utd ‘offered’ Goncalo Ramos
PSG are flying high under Luis Enrique after winning the quadruple this season. They could yet add a fifth trophy to their cabinet by winning the Club World Cup which gets underway on June 14.
The French giants possess an all-star attacking line-up that usually consists of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele.
With Bradley Barcola providing yet another explosive option in reserve, Ramos has been marginalised and will be allowed to leave despite scoring 18 times in 41 appearances this season.
Ramos is no slouch despite PSG’s willingness to get rid. Indeed, his 18 goals this term have come at a rate of one every 90.5 minutes.
Salt stated: ‘United have been offered Paris Saint-Germain striker Goncalo Ramos by intermediaries and that is one to watch as the striker market develops further in the coming weeks.’
Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta is also on Man Utd’s radar, though the reporter stated the Frenchman is leaning towards remaining at Selhurst Park this summer.
Palace are primed to embark on their first ever European campaign when competing in the Europa League.
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Goncalo Ramos style of play: Strengths and weaknesses explained
BySamuel Bannister
Ramos rose through the ranks at Benfica before earning a big move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.
The bulk of his appearances for Benfica were as a centre-forward, though he sometimes operated in support of a main striker (which was often Darwin Nunez).
While that was often in a variant of a 4-4-2 system, he later became a focal point up front in a 4-2-3-1. Since then, Ramos has invariably played as a striker since joining PSG, usually flanked by some top-class wingers in a 4-3-3.
As you can imagine given the role he used to play, Ramos excels at dropping deep and getting involved in build-up play. His spatial awareness is a major strength, with former Benfica teammate Alejandro Grimaldo previously stating he “has incredible intuition.”
When he was starting to make a name for himself, some of the comparisons aimed at Ramos included Harry Kane, Thomas Muller and Karim Benzema. What those players have in common is being big attacking assets who are also strong with their back to goal and better on the ball than your average target man.
This season in Ligue 1, he ranks in the 99th percentile of forwards for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 minutes, while his underlying numbers for expected goals and expected assists are very strong, including in the Champions League.
That said, he underperforms his xG with his actual goalscoring output in Ligue 1. Finishing has been cited as an area he could improve in the past, but he got 27 goals in his last Benfica season and 14 in his first with PSG, a tally he has improved upon in his second.
He’s relatively hit and miss aerially – with more hit than miss, in fairness – and doesn’t stand out for taking on players, but the way he can recycle possession to other attackers – especially when he’s got the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Bradley Barcola or Desire Doue around him – makes him an influential target man.
Still only 23, he has time to develop and in the right system – with the right players around him – he can thrive. His hard-working nature should equip him well for further success.