Manchester United has reduced the list of striker searches to two names: Benjamin Sesko and Ollie Watkins.
Sesko could be valued at up to £78 million, partly because he is entering his career prime at the age of 23, with outstanding development potential.
Sesko's Bundesliga record - 27 goals and 7 assists - is impressive, although not at his best. The question is whether he can replicate that, or even improve his form in the Premier League, where names like Jadon Sancho, Timo Werner or Kai Havertz have failed to meet expectations.
Watkins, meanwhile, has proven himself to be an effective striker in the English top flight, behind only Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland (75 goals) in the last 5 seasons.
At 29, Watkins' peak time zone is not much, but the price is "softer" than Sesko. Aston Villa are willing to listen to offers of £45 million for the striker.
Of course, there is a third option for Man United to consider: keeping the current squad. The "Red Devils" can now continue to put their faith in Rasmus Hojlund - a diligent but clumsy player. In addition, there are two new recruits Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, who possess formidable scoring ability.
There are Joshua Zirkzee, despite his inconsistent form, and captain Bruno Fernandes, who is often pushed up to play high. Maintaining the status quo could be M.U's best option. This will help Fernandes maximize his role and abilities.
Letting Mbeumo and Cunha switch the striker role, with Fernandes playing right behind and Amad Diallo participating in the attack from the full-back position, will make the opponent's defense extremely unpredictable.
Mbeumo scored 20 Premier League goals last season for Brentford - an achievement that no Man United player has achieved since Robin van Persie's time 12 years ago. Cunha, meanwhile, has also scored 15 goals for Wolves.
Fernandes' 8 goals in the Premier League last season have become quite modest when placed next to his new teammates. Especially since 3 of those goals came from the penalty spot.
However, the Portuguese international also had 10 assists. And this number will almost certainly increase as the quality of personnel around him improves.
If he plays in a regular top position, Fernandes can completely restore his form to score 28 goals in the Premier League between January 2020 and May 2021, right after he joined Old Trafford.
Fernandes has responded to criticism surrounding his failure to maintain the top form he had in his first two seasons. But with the support of Mbeumo and Cunha, he could well find his impressive numbers.
