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The Aston Villa man is among the options Erik Ten Hag is considering to bolster his attack
Aston Villa striker Olie Watkins is one of five centre forward options Manchester United are looking at in the summer after United’s failed pursuit of Harry Kane according to The Athletic.
Erik ten Hag wants a guaranteed goal-scoring striker who is of “no risk” and is preferably Premier League proven.
Ten Hag’s focus comes after a campaign that started with Christian Eriksen as a false nine, included a striker resistant to his pressing schemes in Cristiano Ronaldo, and ended with a willing runner but wayward finisher in Wout Weghorst.
Anthony Martial appeared for 1,432 minutes out of a possible 5,640, at a ratio of 25 per cent, and he is currently recovering from a hamstring tear that could keep him out of the start of pre-season. Marcus Rashford played 19 games at center-forward but prefers to operate off the left wing.
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19:53 - 17.06.2023
FOOTBALL Shummah: These are whom I dedicate Harambee Stars’ goal to
The forward scored the only goal for Kenya to win 1-0 against Pakistan in the Four Nations Tournament opener.
England captain Harry Kane was the prefered the top transfer target according to David Ornstein, hence Ten Hag’s insistence United should test Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy’s resolve over the Tottenham marksman.
Kane scored 30 Premier League goals from an xG of 21.46 in 2022-23, the best ratio in the division, and Ten Hag felt United had a genuine chance to sign him due to his contract having one year to run, despite Levy communicating he would not sell to a Premier League rival.
However, Football director John Murtough explored a pursuit but concluded that Levy is serious in his stance even in the face of losing Kane for free next summer.
It was decided United could not afford to spend the transfer window trying to persuade Levy otherwise, with every expectation a deal would only be done in late August if possible at all. Though disappointed, Ten Hag accepts the situation.
United now hope that Kane, 29, does not go anywhere else before his contract expires next summer. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have been in touch with Spurs on Kane, but his preference is to stay in England.
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07:30 - 16.06.2023
FOOTBALL “We had to wait ten hours at Wilson Airport!” Allan Wanga reminisces Harambee Stars’ 2015 Cape Verde travel ordeal
Kenya had to travel to Cape Verde using a small chattered plane from Wilson Airport.
Chelsea have also enquired about reuniting Kane with Mauricio Pochettino, given their strong relationship at Tottenham — but Levy dealing with Chelsea is seen as impossible.
This has forced United into alternatives, hence the links to Olie Watkis of Aston Villa.He’s scored 14, 11, and 15 goals in his three seasons in the Premier League and has been watched by United. He has two years left on his Villa contract but is in talks over a new deal.
Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund is also prime in their thoughts.However,. Hojlund’s agents SEG held talks with Atalanta this week and were told that his fee in this market would be €100 million (£85.3m; $109.4m). That is far above the €47 million that had previously been anticipated as Atalanta’s asking price.
Hojlund, who played 92 minutes for Denmark in their 1-0 win over Northern Ireland this week,, is keen to join United and further discussions over that prospect are expected in the days and weeks ahead.
The 20-year-old has experienced some friction with Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini and feels ready for the next step. Atalanta, however, have now made their position clear about how much money that may take given his abilities.
There are similar high prices for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani, Napoli’s Victor Osimhen and Benfica’s Goncalo Ramos, three strikers United have scouted who may also require some adjustment to the Premier League. There is a small pool of players that could meet Ten Hag’s brief.
19:53 - 17.06.2023
FOOTBALL Shummah: These are whom I dedicate Harambee Stars’ goal to
The forward scored the only goal for Kenya to win 1-0 against Pakistan in the Four Nations Tournament opener.
As the sale talks drag on, United have to abide by budgets set by the Glazers and, even in the event of a takeover, there are financial fair play considerations.
They must balance where they spend their money, and so have decided to first try directing it towards Mason Mount. Chelsea rejected a £40millon bid for Mount and are demanding £70m. United say they will not meet that fee.
Then there is the goalkeeper market, which United will have to dip into if David de Gea leaves.
The international window is not yet open, but there is already a sense that limitations may impact Ten Hag’s squad enhancement. As far as a centre-forward is concerned, the longer the wait, the bigger the risk.
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09:08 - 17.06.2023
ATHLETICS Omanyala tops 100m standings after five Diamond League Meetings
Africa’s fastest man is leading the race for the Ksh4m Diamond League Trophy that will be awarded to the winner at the end of the season
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