Manchester United have found their second attacking signing of the summer hard to come by.
The Red Devils began what is set to be a crucial summer in the transfer market with the £62.5 million acquisition of Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha last month, but have since been frustrated in their pursuit of Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo.
Ruben Amorim has reportedly indicated that he wants that deal to be resolved by the time Manchester United head stateside for the US tour on July 22, but in the meantime, a last-minute opportunity to land one of Serie A’s most exciting attackers last season may present itself.
Forward’s release clause set to expire
Even if Amorim’s side do manage to seal a deal for Mbeumo, they may still want to address their centre-forward position, given Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund’s struggles in front of goal, with the pair managing just seven Premier League goals between them last season.
This is perhaps why the club have been linked to Fiorentina striker Moise Kean in recent months, with the 25-year-old coming off a season in which he netted 25 times in 44 appearances for Fiorentina.
The Red Devils had reportedly dispatched scouts to watch Kean in action this season, with Saudi Pro League side Al-Qadsiah also linked and were last month said to be willing to pay the player’s €52m release clause.
The clock is ticking on this clause however, as it is set to expire on July 15, with Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport claiming that Manchester United may still trigger it, amid a ’tightening’ situation in which the Premier League side’s prospects ‘should not be underestimated’.
Kean’s career is back on track after a hugely disappointing Premier League stint at Everton, who paid €27.5 million to bring him to the club from Juventus in the summer of 2019.
FourFourTwo ranked him at no.2 in a list of Italians who struggled in the Premier League last year, following his underwhelming return of four goals from 39 appearances.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, moving for Kean in the final hours before his clause expires would have more than a whiff of panic-buying.
He is valued at €50 million by Transfermarkt, making the €52 million release clause a reasonable price tag, but he should not be seen as the solution to all of Manchester United’s problems and their limited budget would be better off spent elsewhere.
