Manchester United are reportedly braced for competition from Crystal Palace and a number of other sides for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike.
The Red Devils were beaten 1-0 by Nottingham Forest on Tuesday and ended matchweek 30 in 13th place with just 37 points, though there were positives to take from the game.
However, while boss Ruben Amorim may point to the fact that his side were much improved on the ball - his team created three big chances and restricted Forest to none - United lacked a cutting edge in the final third.
Alejandro Garnacho came in for bouts of criticism, and it is worrying that centre-back Harry Maguire seemed to be the club's most threatening player in the box.
It is perhaps no surprise that United have been credited with interest in Ekitike, but TEAMtalk claims that they will have to beat the likes of Crystal Palace if they are to win the race and sign him.
© Imago
Is Ekitike the right profile?
Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have been the two players to have most often featured up front for Amorim, but the duo have only scored a combined six Premier League goals in 2024-25.
As for Ekitike, the Eintracht Frankfurt striker has managed to find the back of the net 13 times in the league this term, as well as having produced four assists.
It should be noted that the 22-year-old has underperformed his xG metric by roughly five, though that is somewhat skewed by the fact he has missed two penalties.
The Frenchman is at his best when facing play and when he is allowed to receive the ball in tight pockets of space in order to attract pressure before linking with a teammate.
Ekitike's combination play could help get the best out of players such as Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo, but there is an argument that United would benefit with more of a traditional number nine leading their attack.
The likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen have been linked to the club, but given they will likely command a significant fee, perhaps the Red Devils will instead look at cheaper alternatives such as Liam Delap and Ekitike.
Lewis Nolan
