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Manchester United have been given the green light to sign Victor Osimhen - but there's a catch
@Source: manchestereveningnews.co.uk
The summer transfer window has been open for just four days and one thing has already become abundantly clear: Manchester United have not lost their pulling power.
After wrapping up the signing of long-term target Matheus Cunha from Wolves on Sunday, it emerged on Monday evening that Brentford star Bryan Mbeumo is now keen on a move to Old Trafford.
United are interested in signing the 25-year-old attacker and are keen to bring him to M16. He scored 20 Premier League goals this season, meaning he would be another statement addition.
Mbeumo has been linked with a cluster of Premier League clubs in recent months, including the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle United. Both will participate in the Champions League next season, meaning, on paper, they are currently more attractive destinations than United.
United will not play in Europe next season after losing last month's Europa League final, meaning they will be focusing purely on domestic matters. However, what is widely considered as a setback does not appear to be hindering the Reds so far this summer.
As a result of missing out on European qualification, United do not have as big a transfer budget as they would have done had they qualified for Europe's premier club competition. It means they will have to box clever with elements of their recruitment this summer.
But having already signed Cunha and now targeting Mbeumo, it has quickly become clear that United are in no mood to hang around. They want their business done as quickly as possible.
Should United sign Mbeumo, the expectation is he will occupy the right-sided No.10 berth. Cunha has been signed to operate in the left-sided playmaker spot.
As far as United's attack is concerned, that just leaves the No.9 position in need of a fresh face. United desperately need to sign a striker this summer and their hopes of signing Liam Delap from Ipswich Town are now dead in the water after he chose a move to Chelsea.
It remains to be seen which direction United's striker search will now head in, but there are a handful of obvious candidates the club could turn to in their hunt for a chief goal-getter. Few are more appealing than Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
The Nigerian international, 26, has made a name for himself after becoming one of Europe's most prolific strikers in recent years. In the last three seasons alone, he has scored 85 goals.
Osimhen spent this season on loan at Turkish club Galatasaray, scoring 37 times in 41 games, after falling out with Napoli head coach Antonio Conte last summer. Conte later admitted a permanent exit for the striker would have been "better".
Napoli are keen to offload him on a permanent basis this summer and director Giovanni Manna, in February, confirmed the Italian club wants the striker's future resolved as quickly as possible.
"Victor is always going to be a hotly-debated topic and not just on the transfer market," Manna told Sky Sport Italia.
"He is an appetising player for clubs, he has a clause and everyone knows this, we are working to find a solution as quickly as possible, so that we can avoid what happened last year."
Keen to offload him as quickly as possible, Napoli are unlikely to dig their heels in. It is understood his release clause is valued at £64million, meaning it is an attractive price for a striker so reliable in front of goal.
United, though, do not have a bottomless pit of money this summer, meaning the prospect of them adding Osimhen and Mbeumo to the addition of Cunha without cutting their cloth is fanciful. They need to raise funds via player sales and they are eager to sell Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho and Antony to name just a few.
However, with Napoli eager to resolve Osimhen's future as quickly as possible, it puts pressure on United to shift their wantaway players just as fast. The window will temporarily close again next week before reopening on June 16.
United, if they sell the likes of Rashford and Garnacho, will be hoping to bank around £80m as a minimum, meaning they have assets that can be sold to fund a deal for Osimhen, who has previously admitted playing in the Premier League is his "dream".
Previously, a move for Osimhen would have been considered impossible amid the fact United cannot offer any form of European football for next season. The events of the last few days, however, have proven they still remain an enormous attraction.
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