According to Gazzetta dello Sport (via SportWitness), Manchester United are ready to pay £21 million to sign Santos striker Marcos Leonardo ahead of Roma.
The 20-year-old has been linked with a move away from Brazil for the past few weeks. As per Gazzetta dello Sport, Roma are interested in a late approach to sign him, but they could face competition from Man United, who are ready to pay £17 million plus £4 million in add-ons for the striker.
United already have a new centre-forward in their ranks in Rasmus Hojlund, but it has today emerged that he could make his debut following the international break due to his back problem. Hojlund is expected to be United’s first-choice striker, but Leonardo could be seen as his potential understudy.
Surprise signing
United currently have two specialist strikers in the squad in Hojlund and Anthony Martial. The former has yet to make his debut for the club due to a back injury in pre-season while Martial has yet to start a game, having only recently recovered from a hamstring issue from the back end of last term.
Manager Erik ten Hag may ideally want more depth in the striking department. Leonardo has fared well for Santos with 16 goals this campaign. He chipped in with five goals for Brazil during the recent Under-20 World Cup in Argentina. The youngster is obviously talented and could develop into an elite striker.
Aside from his goalscoring, Leonardo has the ability to create chances for his teammates. He is also decent with his distribution in the final third and likes to press opponents regularly. These are attributes that ten Hag prefers in his centre-forwards, and United could make a late swoop for his signature.
Roma are also keen on landing the highly-talented marksman, but United could have the upper hand over the Europa League runners-up with Champions League football. The lure of playing in the Premier League could be another key factor in United’s favour in the pursuit of the young striker.
