Manchester United are currently in a precarious position ahead of the January transfer window. Although the club deals with financial instability, his team still requires reinforcements.
The need for tickets would not have been so great were it not for the sensational march of last season’s top scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo.
But now that the Portuguese is gone, new manager Erik ten Hag has made it clear that his team is underpowered up front and that signing a striker in January is of paramount importance.
Financial situation has hurt United’s search for strikers
The Red Devils were expected to close a deal for Cody Gakpo as soon as January rolled around after an extensive relationship with the attacker since the summer.
Liverpool have stolen a march out of thin air to the dismay of the manager and the club’s supporters.
However, as The Peoples Person has already reported, due to the imminent sale of the club by the Glazer family, not much is available as a transfer budget.
???? Álvaro Morata is a loan option for Manchester United if he wants to replace Cristiano Ronaldo in January.
(Source: ESPN) pic.twitter.com/lWikktnVT0
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The only options the club are currently exploring are players who are available on loan. The likes of Goncalo Ramos, Rafael Leao are out of reach due to their huge rise in valuation following a successful World Cup.
Realistic options at the moment include Atlético Madrid attacker Joao Félix and Barcelona’s Memphis Depay. Felix has a loan fee of around £8m, while the Catalan giants would like some sort of transfer fee for Depay.
Such is United’s current financial situation that even such a low loan fee for Felix is unlikely to be met while paying a fee for Depay, whose contract expires in the summer, is not a smart move.
In such a situation, another surprise name has entered the fray according to ESPN: Atlético Madrid striker Álvaro Morata. “Álvaro Morata continues to be an option if Atlético is willing to listen to loan offers,” the report mentions.
Morata, an unlikely solution
The Spanish striker is enjoying a decent season so far. He has five goals in 14 La Liga games this season, while the 30-year-old also netted three goals in four games for Spain at the World Cup.
United fans will know him well for his disastrous spell at Chelsea, and during that season United were heavily linked with Morata only to end up with Romelu Lukaku.
Ten Hag is said to be looking for a traditional number 9 and Morata fits that bill perfectly.
For Atlético, temporarily sanctioning Morata does not seem the best option. With Felix on the market and Matheus Cunha on his way to Wolves, Morata’s departure would leave them extremely short up front.
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