Manchester United are ready to replace Cristiano Ronaldo this January as they look to continue their push for a Champions League finish come the end of the season under new boss Erik ten Hag.
The veteran striker sensationally split from Manchester United a week before 2022 World Cup in Qatar kicked off, after an interview on British TV saw him claim that he had ‘no respect’ for current Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag and that most of his teammates weren’t good enough for Manchester United.
It leaves him without a club, but also leaves his former side short at the top of the pitch, with only Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial options to play as a no.9 at Old Trafford.
The former prefers to be deployed on the left, while Martial has continuous injury issues that leave him an unreliable first choice.
Ten Hag confirmed that the club will be targeting a striker, with several linked, but warned that “Yes, we want a striker – but only when we find the right player. We do everything in our power. We are doing research on every opportunity and we do everything we can”.
They appear to have found their man, however, as the Telegraph report that United have reignited their interest in Cody Gakpo, with the club readying a 50m euro (£43m) bid for the PSV man.
The 23-year-old has recorded an astonishing nine goals and 12 assists in just 13 Eredivisie appearances, while he also managed three goals and two assists in five Europa League outings to date, helping PSV out of their group alongside Arsenal.
Earlier in the month, he admitted that he would consider a move to the Red Devils this January.
“I haven’t heard from Manchester United yet. If they come, I will think about it with God’s help”, he explained.
“I thought about Man Utd last summer, but when that didn’t happen, I didn’t know anymore. Then Leeds arrived, I had doubts… now I wait and see”.
Should he move for 50m, it would represent a club record sale for PSV, overtaking the 45m euros paid for Hirving Lozano paid by Napoli.
