Manchester United are apparently keen to sign a new centre-forward and they’ve been linked with several players. Here, we analyse those and some of our own options…
At long last, Manchester United completed the signing of Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford on Monday. It ended a transfer saga that began at the start of June, and the end of it allows the club to move on to their other many priorities.
According to widespread reports, one of their next focuses is likely to be a new centre-forward. There are obstacles in their way, such as an apparent need to shift other players first, but bolstering their options at the top of the attack seems probable.
But what sort of centre-forward do they want?
Well, according to The Athletic, United made late enquiries about Liverpool-bound Hugo Ekitiké and Arsenal-linked Viktor Gyökeres last week, but neither scenario progressed. Nevertheless, it could be argued that these efforts were instructive of the type of centre-forward they’re after.
They aren’t the only names that have been mentioned prominently, though. Here, we’ll highlight who United are being tentatively linked with and then bring some of our own wildcard options to the table.
The Reported Targets
Beyond Gyökeres and Ekitiké, there are several other recognisable names who’ve been mentioned in the media as forwards United are contemplating making a move for.
Chief among them are Nicolas Jackson of Chelsea, Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Sesko, who’s still at RB Leipzig despite being linked with just about any wealthy team on the lookout for a new centre-forward this summer.
They are quite different types of centre-forwards for the most part, but there are some underlying similarities that provide some clues as to what United are looking for, in that they’re all dynamic, mobile attackers who are comfortable leading the line themselves while being able to link effectively with others in the front line.
It’s probably also important to understand what United currently have: why they may feel reinforcements are necessary.
Rasmus Højlund had shown signs of promise in his first season at United, but 2024-25 was difficult for him. The Dane struggled to impose himself physically, routinely finding himself bullied by centre-backs as the graphic below supports, and sniffing out chances was an uphill struggle.
He only managed 32 shots from 2,013 minutes in the Premier League last term; for context, Liverpool’s Darwin Núñez recorded two more from 1,118 mins. The fact Højlund’s attempts were worth 0.16 non-penalty expected goals on average – the same in league games in 2024-25 as Romelu Lukaku, Ousmane Dembélé and Jackson – suggests he’s not a lost cause in terms of attacking instinct, but he wasn’t threatening often enough.
When it comes to Jackson, Watkins and Sesko, it’s easy to see why they might be regarded as effective alternatives to Højlund without being significant stylistic departures.
While Watkins is similar in his persistent off-ball style (only Mbeumo (418) made more runs in behind the opposition’s defensive line than Watkins last term), Jackson is comparable with his pace, build and channel running, whereas Sesko offers the kind of explosiveness and power Højlund was expected to bring.
Among fans, Jackson is probably the option that inspires the least confidence, not least because of the perception he’s been wasteful during his two years in the Premier League. The data backs that idea up: across the top five European leagues since the start of 2023-24, only two players have underperformed their non-pen xG to a greater extent than Jackson (-7.0).
But he makes intelligent off-ball runs, carries the ball well and gets into dangerous positions, as highlighted by the fact his 0.55 non-pen xG per 90 since the start of 2023-24 sees him rank 12th out of 178 forwards from the top five leagues. Given he’s only just turned 24, there’s no reason Jackson can’t improve his finishing as he gains more experience.
But that’s where Watkins would likely be considered a less risky signing if he was acquirable. The England international has developed into a reliable finisher under Unai Emery at Aston Villa, working effectively across the width of the box and scoring at least 15 league goals in each of the past three seasons.
He may not be the obvious physical upgrade on Højlund that they might be after, however, and at 29 – he turns 30 in December – he’s not exactly one for the future with a high sell-on value.
Sesko is the youngest of the three, the most well-rounded and therefore almost certainly the most expensive. Not only is he nearly two metres tall, but he’s lightning quick, comfortable receiving the ball to feet with his back to goal or hanging on the shoulder of the last defender and racing onto a through ball, while he can also score goals of all types from all sorts of distances.
When you consider that Ruben Amorim’s ideal centre-forward is presumably one who’s capable of being an adaptable threat who’s dangerous in a variety of ways, like Gyökeres was in his Sporting side, Sesko probably stands out as the best option among these three.
But there might initially be some doubts about his predatory skills. Sure, he has been a capable finisher, but his 0.37 non-pen xG per 90 over the past two seasons is somewhat modest.
While Jackson, Sesko and Watkins all have qualities that would be attractive to United, they’re certainly not the only centre-forwards out there who might be appropriate…
The Wildcard Options
Georges MikautadzeLyon
If United can’t muster up the funds for Sesko, for example, then the chances are they’ll need to compromise on something on their centre-forward checklist.
Georgia international Georges Mikautadze certainly won’t bring all of the same qualities as a Gyökeres, Ekitiké or Sesko, and he’s relatively inexperienced at the top level, with 2024-25 his first full campaign in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
But he does have a lot going for him in terms of his skillset.
We’re led to believe that United want a centre-forward who’s dynamic, able to score goals as well as create opportunities for teammates, and mobile. Well, in 2024-25, Mikautadze was one of just six nominal centre-forwards across Europe’s top five leagues (900+ minutes) to average at least 2.0 shots (3.5), 0.3 non-pen xG (0.45), 7.0 touches in the opposition’s box (7.7) and 1.0 open-play chances created (1.3) on a per-90 basis.
Mikautadze is the type of forward who can make things happen by himself. He’s an accomplished dribbler, generally inventive and used to being impactful. In 2024-25, he averaged 1.07 goal involvements per 90 in Ligue 1, putting him 11th among all forwards from the top five leagues, scoring 11 himself and setting up six.
That is influenced by him struggling to get into the Lyon starting XI prior to Paulo Fonseca’s arrival in January, but he thrived afterwards, with the Portuguese coach working hard to make Mikautadze a little more single-minded in attack.
The Georgian also caught the eye during the second half of 2023-24 while back on loan at Metz from Ajax, where he’d struggled to settle. He was unable to save his team from relegation, but he netted 13 times in 20 Ligue 1 games – he then went on to impress at Euro 2024.
Mikautadze’s physical attributes aren’t exceptional and he may not be an out-and-out centre-forward in the same way as someone like Watkins, as a lot of his touches occur towards the left. But his best qualities have made him a high-impact forward.
Nick WoltemadeStuttgart
According to the latest reports, Bayern Munich have halted talks with Stuttgart over their attempts to bring Germany international Nick Woltemade to the Allianz Arena.
He wouldn’t be cheap, with Stuttgart apparently already rejecting an offer worth up to €55m (£47.8m), but the opportunity is there for another club to take advantage.
Woltemade starred this summer at the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, but he’d have already been on the radars of top clubs after a breakthrough season in 2024-25, netting 17 goals in 33 games across all competitions.
Like Mikautadze, Woltemade was also one of the six nominal centre-forwards from Europe’s top five leagues (900+ minutes) to average at least 2.0 shots (2.7), 0.3 non-pen xG (0.44), 7.0 touches in the opposition’s box (9.8) and 1.0 open-play chances created (2.1) on a per-90 basis last term. But he’s a considerably different type of player to Mikautadze.
For starters, he’s huge, at just shy of two metres tall. And while that would lead to certain perceptions about his style of play, he’s not simply a battering ram type. Woltemade’s more subtle; he’s graceful in possession and a handy dribbler. He’s deceptively quick for his size as well.
He’s also not generally been seen as a typical target man who’s exceptional in the air. While that side of his game has improved, and his height does give him an obvious advantage, he likes to drop deep – usually towards the left – to knit the game together, and he possesses the vision and technical quality to lay on chances for others. All the while, he also maintains a threat in the penalty area, with only one of his 46 non-pen Bundesliga shots last term taken from outside the box. Further to that, the average xG value of his non-pen shots was a respectable 0.17.
Granted, some may feel United don’t need a centre-forward like Woltemade. It could be argued he is – like Joshua Zirkzee – something between a number nine and a 10, and Amorim needs a genuine focal point.
But a lot of what makes new signings Matheus Cunha and Mbeumo so effective is their threat running forward and in the box. Woltemade’s vision and link play could be ideal for unleashing number 10s like them.
Marcus ThuramInter
There doesn’t seem to be much likelihood of Marcus Thuram leaving Inter this summer; he’d be extremely expensive for starters. Nevertheless, he’s a very well-rounded forward, which would seem to align with United’s desires, and he has been linked with them in the past.
The data also backs up the assertion that he can be an effective weapon in several ways.
Similarly to Woltemade, he’s not a particularly high-volume shooter, though his 2.6 shots per 90 is a big improvement on Hojlund’s 1.4.
At Inter, he’s largely played as part of a front two with Lautaro Martínez. Not only has he been expected to chip in with goals, but also to help drive attacks forward and be a creative presence.
One aspect that made Gyökeres so effective under Amorim at Sporting was his power and ability to get the team on the front foot when running with the ball, and Thuram performs a comparable function at Inter.
For instance, among nominal centre-forwards (900+ mins) in Serie A last term, Thuram ranked second for the average distance he carried the ball (13.9 metres) and third for the average distance he carried it upfield (8.6m). Among the same group, he was third for progressive carries that moved the ball at least 10m towards the opposition’s goal.
Furthermore, his four goal-ending carries was unmatched among nominal centre-forwards, while his 26 carries ending with a shot or chance created put him fifth.
He may not be the penalty-box predator some supporters might feel is needed, but he’s used to playing a role that requires close association with others. His 3.8 xG assisted in open play was third among all nominal centre-forwards in Serie A last season, while he led the way for chances created and secondary chances created (the pass before the one that sets up a chance) combined (55) among the same group of players, evidence of his effective use of the ball in dangerous positions.
Gonçalo RamosParis Saint-Germain
Again, we should make the point that Gonçalo Ramos isn’t actually expected to leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer – but that doesn’t mean he’s unattainable.
After all, Ramos has struggled to find a regular spot in the PSG starting XI since he joined from Benfica two years ago, even with Kylian Mbappé moving on to Real Madrid last summer. Only 38 of the Portugal international’s 82 appearances have been starts, while he’s averaged just 48 minutes per appearance (including added time).
But United were credited with strong interest in Ramos before he left Benfica, and his underlying numbers make him an intriguing proposition for a team on the lookout for a predator in the box.
Ramos’ goals per game average has been excellent in France, scoring every 123 minutes (again, including added time) on average – that’s a better rate than all at PSG bar Mbappé (96 mins) across those two seasons. He’s also converted an exceptional 21.3% of his non-penalty shots into goals, which is higher than current teammates Ousmane Dembélé (18.5%), Bradley Barcola (18.7%) and Désiré Doué (19.5%).
His ability to find excellent positions to shoot helps. No player at PSG has averaged a higher non-pen xG per 90 than Ramos over the last two seasons (0.78), while he is one of only nine players from the top five European leagues to sustain an xG-per-shot average of 0.20 or higher (0.21) out of the 267 to have attempted 100+ non-pen shots in all competitions since the start of 2023-24.
He wouldn’t offer the subtlety and creativity offered by some of the others on this list, but if United decided they specifically needed a centre-forward with a track record for getting into dangerous areas, Ramos would appear a strong choice.
Randal Kolo MuaniParis Saint-Germain
Another forward who’s struggled to make a notable impact at PSG since joining in 2023, Randal Kolo Muani is probably more attainable than Ramos and, if United were looking for a well-rounded attacker, he’s arguably more suitable than the Portugal international as well.
Kolo Muani burst onto the scene with a breakout 2022-23 at Eintracht Frankfurt, recording 37 goal involvements across all competitions. That persuaded PSG to splurge an initial €75m on him.
But, having mostly been used as a centre-forward with freedom to roam towards the left at Frankfurt, he was moved around the PSG frontline, and rarely featured in a role that would facilitate being a presence towards the left.
He fell completely out of favour in 2024-25 and was allowed to join Juventus on loan in January, but they’ve not pressed ahead with their apparent intention to bring him back to Turin, supposedly put off by a €40-50m price tag.
To get an idea of the sort of forward he is, it’s probably most instructive to look at that season he had in Germany, when he played in a system not too dissimilar to Amorim’s.
He was a force of nature at Eintracht. Obviously, there were the goals (15) and assists (11), but he was also generally a huge presence in attack. His 220 touches in the opposition’s box was comfortably the most in the Bundesliga that season, while he engaged opponents unlike almost anyone else, recording the second-most dribbles (148).
No player that season bettered his eight goal involvements following a carry, while he topped the charts for carries ending with a shot or chance created (34) among nominal centre-forwards.
If Amorim wanted a forward in the mould of Gyökeres – as in, someone who can provide a threat in the box, creativity, explosiveness and ability on the ball – Kolo Muani could be an attractive and cheaper alternative.
Yoane WissaBrentford
Admittedly, there are several aspects that make a pursuit of Yoane Wissa unlikely for United. Firstly, they appear to have briefed the media that they were unhappy with Brentford’s negotiating tactics while trying to prise Mbeumo away. And secondly, Newcastle are reportedly pushing hard to sign the DR Congo international.
Nevertheless, it’s hardly beyond the realm of possibility that United make a move. He’s enjoyed a couple of good seasons in the Premier League now, he’s in his peak years, he’d be cheaper than most players on this list, and – perhaps crucially – he has an excellent on-pitch relationship with Mbeumo.
Why not try to recreate their understanding at Old Trafford? When you’ve had as bad a season as United have just endured, you need all the help you can get. Pairing Wissa with Mbeumo again could be quite shrewd.
Last season, Mbeumo and Wissa contributed 39 Premier League goals in total, making them the second-highest scoring duo in the competition after Mohamed Salah and Luis Díaz (42).
But they also combined to good effect.
They teed each other up for six goals in total, a tally bettered by only two other pairings.
Across their whole time together in the Premier League, that number goes up to 14. The only pairing to better that over the same period (since August 2021) is Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne (15).
Cohesion is a valuable commodity in football; these two have it in abundance.
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