Man United striker search is whittled down to two but with one key caveat

Ollie Watkins and Benjamin Sesko have emerged as the new top targets in Manchester United’s striker search.

United have been in the market for a centre-forward all summer but have struggled against their rivals in the transfer market, not least when No 1 choice Liam Delap joined Chelsea instead.

Although Aston Villa maintain that Watkins is not for sale, United believe a bid of around £45million may be enough to persuade them to sell the England striker.

United are weighing up a bid for Watkins who will be 30 in December but has extensive Premier League experience – a key factor in United buying Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha this summer.

Sesko would be a more difficult deal to pull off, with RB Leipzig valuing him at almost twice the price of Watkins and Newcastle keen to sign the Slovenian as well.

Last week it appeared as though United had finally ruled out any move for Sesko, Alexander Isak and Nicolas Jackson because of their prohibitive prices. While Isak and Jackson are still viewed as being out of reach, United believe they may be able to stretch to Sesko through player sales.

It’s understood that Leipzig have a gentlemen’s agreement with the 22-year-old to let him go for as low as £60m plus add-ons to certain clubs.

Even that figure would push United’s summer spending past the £200m mark, and Newcastle would be able to offer significantly more if they sell Isak to Liverpool.

United are said to be in contact with both players’ camps but haven’t chosen to prioritise either target yet, and it is still possible that they will start the season without a new striker.

SANCHO'S SALE PRICE

United hope to raise money for a striker by selling Jadon Sancho, Antony and Alejandro Garnacho, and Confidential understands they would accept a reduced price for Sancho of between £15m and £17m amid interest from Juventus and his old club Borussia Dortmund.

United had a deal in place with Chelsea to turn Sancho’s loan into a permanent deal worth up to £25m at the end of last season, but the Londoners couldn’t agree personal terms with the 25-year-old and decided to pay a £5m penalty to rip up the agreement and send him back to Old Trafford.

So having already banked a significant amount of money for Sancho, United are prepared to lower the asking price for a player who is entering the last year of his contract and earns £275,000-a-week.

Sancho moved to Old Trafford from Dortmund for £73m in 2021 and rejoined the Bundesliga club on loan in January 2024 after falling out with former United boss Erik ten Hag. Juventus have also been tracking him for much of the summer but both clubs may favour a loan move.

United value Garnacho at around £40m and are demanding in excess of £30m for Antony who is wanted back by Real Betis after spending the second half of last season on loan in Spain, and is also attracting interest from Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

PITCH IMPERFECT FROM RUBEN

Ruben Amorim expressed some concern about the pitch at the MetLife Stadium for United’s win over West Ham on Saturday night, and it’s understood the playing surface was only laid last week specially for the Premier League Summer Series.

Confidential understands the pitch that was used for the recent Club World Cup – including Chelsea’s win over Paris Saint-Germain in the final – was ripped up because the MetLife was hosting three concerts by country music star Zach Bryan. A new one was laid for United’s opening tour game and the other match between Everton and Bournemouth, which has now been taken to a local farm where it will be used to make compost soil.

After United’s 2-1 win in New Jersey, Amorim said of the pitch: ‘It was okay. We had a game and it can be better. I think everybody is talking about that, even for the World Cup. The environment is really good. Of course, there are always things that can improve.

‘The pitch is really important to have very good games. I know that they are going to improve in the future. My concern is more with the injuries. You cannot play well, but it's okay. The injuries are my concern. They are safe.’

BRUNO SOCKS IT TO WES

Confidential has highlighted the heavy schedule planned for United ambassador Wes Brown on this tour, and having put in plenty of practice to throw the first pitch at the Chicago White Sox game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night, the United ambassador was beaten to the plate by Bruno Fernandes by 24 hours.

Fernandes was asked at short notice after he and a number of United players registered their interest in going to see the White Sox entertain their local rivals, Chicago Cubs.

The United captain was given a personalised shirt with his No.8 on the back and stole Brown’s thunder by throwing the ceremonial first ball.

Former United defender Brown won’t be short of things to do with his diary full for the remainder of the tour.

The United players were given the rest of Sunday off after a recovery session in Chicago on Sunday morning following their victory over West Ham in New Jersey. Some of the squad went to the baseball, others to the beach and some chose to stay and watch England win the women’s Euros.

It’s a sign of the ‘football first’ policy under Ineos that the players have only been asked to do two sponsor appearances each on this tour rather than the usual three. They have been spotted leaving their base at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel to go shopping in the upmarket stores along the Magnificent Mile and went for a meal at Doc B’s Restaurant, while head coach Ruben Amorim was spotted dining at Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse nearby.

THE ROAD TO RIO

Could Rio Ferdinand’s appearance here in Chicago be the start of some more collaborative projects between the former United defender and his old club?

Ferdinand has stepped down from his role as a pundit for TNT Sports after 10 years, freeing himself up to dedicate more time to his own media channels and other interests. While there is no prospect of him becoming a United ambassador, the 46-year-old is now expected to be more involved in the club’s commercial partnerships and media activity.

Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney were filmed on a road trip from Manchester in Michigan to Chicago in an Ineos Grenadier jeep, and Rooney presented Ferdinand with a camcorder like the one he used to annoy his teammates when they toured together under Sir Alex Ferguson.

‘You used to p*** me off,’ recalled Rooney, who revealed that he liked to listen to Susan Boyle songs before going out to play. ‘You were there with this camera everywhere. Sometimes you would come down and you’re tired, and you’re just there with a camera. You’re like, “just come on, give me a break”.’

The two old friends went off-road driving and reminisced about their favourite tours. ‘America firstly was great because you can go shopping and walk around the streets,’ said Rio. ‘We weren’t as well known back then, so outside the game you could get around and be a bit normal. But at the time I loved going to Asia because they made you feel like absolute superstars, they were crazy. It was like the Beatles had turned up.’

Ferdinand gave Rooney a new United shirt with his No.10 on the back and asked him about Matheus Cunha, the man who will wear it this season. ‘I do like him,’ said Rooney. ‘You look back at Cantona and Stevie (Gerrard) at Liverpool, that little bit of fight rubs off on the other players. I think it’s a good signing from that point of view definitely.’

Ferdinand also worked as a pundit for NBC at United’s game against West Ham, and we can expect to see a bit more of him around the club in future.

AMORIM WALKS THE WALK

Ruben Amorim is continuing to walk his players through their training drills in Chicago to get his ideas across in pre-season.

Shortly after taking over at Old Trafford in November, Amorim revealed that he likes to guide the players slowly through the process, even if it means going at walking pace. ‘I was a football player,’ Amorim said at the time. ‘Videos more than 12 minutes? Forget it, because of concentration. Instead of video, we do it like walking and jogging – it’s a way to do it. And showing some videos.’

The United boss is adopting the same tactic at the club’s training base at the Endeavour Health Performance Center in Chicago, walking the players carefully through tactics two days before a game and then upping the pace in the final sessions. It certainly paid off in the win over West Ham at the weekend.