Osimhen tops Manchester United's striker shortlist as the window nears
Manchester United have a long shopping list this summer, and the name at the very top of it plays his football in Istanbul. As Michael Carrick reshapes the squad he inherited, a recognised goalscorer has become the priority signing, and Galatasaray's Victor Osimhen is the player United want most.
The summer window opens on June 15, and United are not planning to be quiet. Carrick is said to want around five additions, with the spine of the team his focus: three central midfielders, a left-back, and a striker. The midfield work has already started.
The rebuild is already moving
United have agreed a deal to sign Brazilian midfielder Éderson from Atalanta, a move worth in the region of 45 million euros once add-ons are counted. He is expected to be the first of several arrivals rather than the headline one. Sir Jim Ratcliffe's overhaul has left the club with serious spending power, and the message from inside Old Trafford is that the rebuild will be backed in the market.
What it has lacked is a number nine who frightens defenders. That is where Osimhen comes in.
Why Osimhen, and why it is complicated
Osimhen, now 27, has been one of the most destructive centre-forwards in Europe since moving to Galatasaray, and United have reportedly placed him at the head of a five-man striker shortlist. The appeal is obvious. He scores in the big games, and he would give Carrick the kind of focal point the attack has lacked all season.
The problem is the price. Osimhen is under contract until 2029, so Galatasaray are under no pressure to sell and are believed to want something close to 150 million euros to even open the conversation. That is a vast outlay for one player, even for a club with United's resources, and it is worth remembering that United looked at Osimhen before and walked away. Interest is not the same as a signing.
The Rashford question hangs over it all
United's attacking maths is tangled further by Marcus Rashford. His loan at Barcelona runs to the end of June, and the Catalans have shown little appetite for paying the roughly 26 million pound option to make it permanent before the June 15 cut-off. Rashford has made clear he would prefer to stay in Spain, but as things stand he looks likely to report back for pre-season at a club that may not have planned for him.
Even if he does return, Rashford does not solve the central striker problem. He is a wide forward, not the penalty-box presence United keep being linked with, which is exactly why the Osimhen pursuit matters regardless of how the Barcelona saga ends.
A statement signing, if they can land it
Carrick's first transfer window will be judged on whether the big swing comes off. Midfield reinforcements and a left-back will steady the side, but a striker of Osimhen's level would be the signing that tells everyone United mean it. Whether they are willing to meet Galatasaray's number is the question that will define their summer.
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