Forget Sesko and Watkins: Man United could land dream next striker with bold £26m gamble

For all the talk of big-money moves for Benjamin Sesko or Ollie Watkins this summer, the simple truth is that Manchester United can’t afford to splash out on yet another superstar attacker this summer and begin next season with anything resembling a functional starting side.

In the last five years, the Red Devils have have spent a fortunate attempting to revamp their frontline, throwing £85 million on Antony, £73m on Jadon Sancho and £72m on Rasmus Hojlund who’ve each failed to justify even a quarter of their price tags.

If even two of those deals had worked out, Manchester United could’ve missed out on Champions League football and still been able to focus the Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha money on fixing their leaky defence and lacklustre central midfield and entered next season with a side more than capable of challenging for at least the top four.

Instead, those chickens are coming home to roost as with that trio still on the books, plus home-grown high-value duo Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, Amorim’s only summer business has been shelling out £130m on two-thirds of his dream attack.

Amorim simply must invest in balancing his team out at least somewhat this summer - Morten Hjulmand, his captain at Sporting, would bolster the midfield and has a release clause of £68m while Diogo Costa and Emi Martinez are both proven upgrades between the sticks who’d reportedly cost £35m and £40m.

Bringing in Sesko for a base price of €70-80m (£61-70m) and expecting him to immediately perform in one of the highest-pressure environments in football (especially under current leadership) would be a huge gamble, with Sesko still not the finished article, while it would make the Red Devils the most top-heavy side in the Premier League.

Likewise, Watkins turns 30 in 2025 and even if Villa are willing to part with him for a fee north of £80m, there’s no guaranteeing how many elite seasons he can produce in his fourth decade.

Instead, the Red Devils must make do with cheaper options and build the rest of the team up around them - snagging Jonathan David on a free transfer from Lille would’ve been a fantastic piece of business but he opted for Juventus instead.

Yet as one door closes, another opens and another Bianconeri striker who’s slipped further down the pecking order following the Canadian’s arrival may be the perfect alternative - Dusan Vlahovic.

Dusan Vlahovic would be major gamble for Manchester United

Of course, there’s a reason Juventus have dropped their asking price from €40m to €25-30m (£35m to £22-26m) this transfer window after signing the Serbian for £67m just three full seasons ago.

After scoring 21 goals in his second Serie A season as a consistent starter at Fiorentina and 17 in 21 games at the start of the following campaign, Juventus snapped Vlahovic up on his 22nd birthday and he scored seven in 15 to finish up the league in black and white.

However, he’s failed to replicate that strike rate since the summer of 2022, and has only started seven games for Juventus this year following the January arrival of Randal Kolo Muani.

In fact, Vlahovic’s goals minus expected goals tally of -2.3 made him the 12th-worst finisher in Serie A out of 634 qualifying players last season according to FBref… but the numbers over the course of his career show that isn’t his usual level of play.

Why Vlahovic risk could pay off handsomely under Ruben Amorim

Manchester United have 99 problems, but Vlahovic ain’t one… or he doesn’t need to be. Despite a lean spell in front of goal this season that ultimately saw him lose his place in the Juventus starting XI, Vlahovic’s Fiorentina career and the beginning of his spell at Juventus show that’s not the entire book on his career.

He added 4.1 goals over his expected tally in that tearaway 2021/22 campaign as only four strikers were more effective in front of goal, and even last season Vlahovic registered 0.6 xG per 90 minutes.

So he still retains that strikers’ instinct to get into scoring positions, which could be deadly if combined Vlahovic can rediscover his shooting boots. The 25-year-old even had an almost identical average shot distance to Viktor Gyokeres in the last year - 15.7 yards to 15.6.

Amorim’s system is tailored around firing service into a striker in the penalty area and in the Mbeumo and Cunha, he finally has two attacking midfielders at Old Trafford who will look to enter the penalty area centrally or through the half-space compared to Garnacho and Rashford who preferred to hug the flanks.

So Vlahovic would be a gamble for the Red Devils but he has the profile to suit Amorim and has shown the credentials in front of goal to have a Gyokeres effect under the Portuguese manager, if he can overcome the poor form that’s made him affordable for Manchester United in the first place.