Erik ten Hag could finally get his hands on a brand new striker at Manchester United. The Red Devils have already missed out on a number of available options, but are now growing confident of landing one. According to a Portuguese daily newspaper O Jogo, United have shown serious interest in signing Porto striker Evanilson. United’s search for a new striker to partner Cristiano Ronaldo has taken them to Portugal. The report further claims that the Premier League giants are optimistic about completing a move for the Brazilian international.
United’s fierce rivals Manchester City and Liverpool have beefed up their squads by adding new strikers. City won the race to land Erling Haaland in which United were contesting as well. On the other hand, Liverpool acquired another hot prospect, Darwin Nunez. United wanted the Benfica striker after missing out on Haaland but Liverpool have beaten them in signing the 22-year-old. As a result, Ten Hag has now prioritized Evanilson’s signing for this summer along with other targets.
United preparing a fresh bid for the Porto striker
O Jogo have further revealed that United even tabled an opening bid for the Brazilian striker. Porto received a bid of £55.8 million for Evanilson from United, which they turned down. O Jogo claim that the Dragons consider their striker’s value to be much more than that of United’s opening bid. Moreover, they also report that Porto have slapped a release clause of £86 million on Evanilson. The club, therefore, are not willing to listen to an offer below the release clause.
Current Premier League Standings
However, United have set their sights on the striker and therefore are readying a new bid. United believe they can convince Porto to a cut-price deal as their new offer is rumored to be around £68.8 million. Furthermore, according to O Jogo, the Portuguese side too would be content with getting around £65-£70 million from the transfer. But anything less than that won’t be entertained by the Portuguese champions.
Edinson Cavani has left United as a free agent leaving Cristiano Ronaldo as their only striker. Ten Hag wants a new striker, and he wants it before the pre-season starts. Evanilson scored an impressive 21 goals in 44 appearances for Porto last season, further adding 5 assists to it. His tally of 14 goals in 30 league games helped Porto become the Liga Portugal champions. Evanilson also netted a staggering 7 goals in 7 Taca de Portugal (domestic cup) games to ensure Porto win the double.
However, United forking out almost £70 million on the Porto striker has surprised many. But there shouldn’t be any doubt over the talent coming out of the Portuguese league. Liverpool now have 2 acquisitions from the Liga Portugal in Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez. Diaz joined the Reds in January, making an instant impact by making 11 goal contributions in 26 games. Meanwhile, Arsenal too have landed another Porto player in Fabio Vieira, who provided 16 assists and scored 7 goals in all competitions last season. United could be the next ones to land a talent from Portugal.
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