Manchester United have missed out on signing their perfect striker for a cut-price fee

You would be hard-pressed to find a striker who has not been linked with Manchester United in this summer's transfer window already.

After missing out on Liam Delap, United have been left with no choice but to explore alternative avenues in their search for a goalscorer.

Delap was available for £30million this summer via a release clause, meaning he would have been a relatively straightforward signing to have got over the line.

However, despite scoring a respectable tally of 12 Premier League goals for relegated Ipswich Town last season, United are in need of someone more proven and experienced. It is why ongoing reports linking them with Sporting Lisbon striker Viktor Gyokeres and Napoli ace Victor Osimhen make so much sense.

The aforementioned duo have established themselves as two of Europe's most prolific and reliable goal-getters in the last couple of years. Gyokeres has scored 97 goals in the last two seasons for Sporting and Osimhen plundered 37 goals in 41 games on loan at Galatasaray in 2024/25.

As a result, both of them will command hefty-sized transfer fees this summer. It is no secret United need to watch the pennies this summer, meaning outgoings will dictate what can be achieved amid their hunt for a striker.

The Reds have already spent £62.5m on Matheus Cunha and Brentford ace Bryan Mbeumo looks set to command a similar fee. If they spend somewhere in the region of £120m just on those two, incomings are likely to cease until players are sold.

It is why United, as desperate as they are for a No.9, may have to lower their expectations when trying to source a goal-getter and move away from those with such prestigious profiles.

Among the strikers to have been linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent months