Man Utd hoping to beat Real Madrid to signing of 18-goal forward

Manchester United are hoping to beat Real Madrid to the signing of Victor Osimhen after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made the Lille striker one of his top summer transfer targets, according to reports in France via the Mirror.

Solskjaer is expected to be in the market for another top class striker over the coming months after the Reds boss failed to replace Romelu Lukaku following his move to Inter Milan last summer.

Odion Ighalo arrived on a short-term loan deal in January and scored four goals in his eight appearances before the season was cut short by the coronavirus outbreak and he could yet make his move permanent from Shanghai Shenhua.

However, Manchester United are being tipped to try and sign another Nigerian international with Le10 Sport, via the Mirror, claiming that Red Devils have identified Victor Osimhen as a key target ahead of the summer window.

The 21-year-old has emerged as one of the most exciting young strikers in European football since joining Lille from Charleroi last summer having scored 18 goals and provided a further 6 assists in his 38 games in all competitions so far.

That superb form in Ligue 1 has caught the attention of some of Europe’s most powerful clubs as Le10 Sport claims Man Utd and Real Madrid are leading the race to sign the Nigerian hitman this summer.

The French outlet says Solskjaer has made Osimhen one of his prime transfer targets and the United boss is reportedly desperate to fend off interest from Madrid. Lille are resigned to losing their star man but Le10 Sport suggests they may value the striker at over €80m so United will need to dig deep if they want to get a deal agreed.

Osimhen is predominantly a central striker but he’s also capable of playing out on either wing so he’d provide Solskjaer with plenty of options in the final third if United were able to beat Madrid to his signature this summer.

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Bruno Fernandes has made a huge impression since signing for United in January and Solskjaer would hope Osimhen would make a similar impact if he was successful in his pursuit of the Lille striker.