Man Utd identify ‘main attacking target’ as they battle Arsenal for ex-Chelsea man after Ten Hag plea

Lewis Oldham
Man utd-linked Abraham

Man Utd have reportedly identified AS Roma forward Tammy Abraham as one of their ‘main attacking targets’ ahead of January and next summer.

The Red Devils are in the market for a new striker after Cristiano Ronaldo left the club last month.

The 37-year-old has now reportedly ‘signed’ for Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr and his departure leaves United with just Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford to choose from up front.

Man Utd were initially heavily linked with Cody Gakpo ahead of January and they were expected to move for him.

But United did not fully commit to the signing and this enabled Liverpool to work in the shadows to secure Gakpo’s services for a fee that could reach £44m with add-ons.

It is probably for the best that United did not sign Gakpo. He is capable of playing all across the forward line but he is a natural winger and the Premier League club are in need of an out-and-out striker.

Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag told reporters on Friday that they “need players and numbers to cover”.

“I think we have a squad, we have players who are matching our criteria,” he said. “But all the games are coming. It’s a tough competition, in all the leagues, we want to be also in all the leagues and keep playing in all the leagues and in the cups as well.

“So we need players and we need numbers to cover. So we need good players, not just the numbers, we need quality players to cover. And also we need competition and we need to know also that we can make tactical choices.

“So we are looking for the right player for our squad, but it has to match our sporting criteria, definitely, but also some financial criteria.”

He added: “In the offensive department, we need players coming from the bench to have an impact on the game – whether you need a goal, or save when you are leading, you can go for counter-attacks or, at least, keep the win on your side.”

Man Utd have been linked with an audacious move for Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema in recent days but TEAMtalk are reporting that Tammy Abraham is one of their ‘main attacking targets’.

The Englishman joined Roma last summer from Chelsea for around £34m. He netted 27 goals in his debut season but he has been under-fire this term as he has only netted four times across all competitions.

TEAMtalk are reporting that Man Utd are ‘plotting a move in January or the summer’ for Abraham.

The forward is said to be ‘open’ to a return to the Premier League as he recognises that a recall from Gareth Southgate is more likely if he is back playing in England.

The report notes that Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea have all ‘also been linked’ with the forward but United are ‘ready to enter the chase’.

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