Transfer Centre

Manchester United alerted to Vincent Aboubakar availability?

By Ben Knapton, Senior Reporter | 01 January 2023

Man United alerted to Vincent Aboubakar availability?

Manchester United are reportedly alerted to a possible January loan deal for Al-Nassr striker Vincent Aboubakar following Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival in Saudi Arabia.

Al-Nassr striker Vincent Aboubakar has supposedly emerged as a possible January loan option for Manchester United.

The Red Devils are on the lookout for a new number nine in the winter window, having waved a bitter goodbye to Cristiano Ronaldo following his contract termination.

Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford have been left as Erik ten Hag's only two central options, and Ronaldo completed a switch to Saudi giants Al-Nassr on a two-year deal last week.

According to the Daily Mail, the 37-year-old's arrival in Saudi Arabia could trigger a loan exit for Aboubakar, who would therefore be a winter option for Man United.

The Cameroon international left Besiktas in the summer of 2021 to join Al-Nassr, and he has registered two goals and one assist from nine league games in the 2022-23 campaign.

Cameroon's Vincent Aboubakar celebrates scoring their first goal on December 2, 2022 © Reuters

Aboubakar - who represented Porto for six years between 2014 and 2020 - has amassed a total of 11 goals and five assists in 36 games for Al-Nassr, and he caught the eye for Cameroon at the World Cup.

Rigobert Song's men suffered a group-stage elimination in Qatar, but Aboubakar came up with two goals and one assist in three games, including the winner against Brazil in their final match.

Man United are reportedly set to focus on loan signings for the January window before spending big in the summer, and a host of attackers have been tipped to move to Old Trafford in recent weeks.

Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix, Barcelona's Memphis Depay and Borussia Monchengladbach's Marcus Thuram are thought to be on the radar of Red Devils chiefs, but Ten Hag has affirmed that any arrivals must match the club's sporting and financial criteria.

"It's always difficult. Strikers are expensive, especially in the winter," Ten Hag told reporters last week. "But you have to set the limits high. We're looking for it. We need to be creative and do everything we have in our power to get the right players in, who are fitting in the balance.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag pictured on December 31, 2022 © Reuters

"It's about timing and availability. It's about so many circumstances playing a role in that. It's a long period and the window hasn't even started.

"I think we have a squad, we have players who are matching our criteria. But all the games are coming. It's a tough competition, in all the leagues. We want to keep playing in all the leagues and in the cups as well. So we need players and we need numbers to cover.

'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 different 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."

A goal from Rashford, who was dropped to the bench after being late for a team meeting, gave Man United a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on New Year's Eve, which propelled them into the top four of the Premier League table.

The Red Devils sit two points clear of Tottenham Hotspur with a game in hand and are next in action at home to Bournemouth on Tuesday night.