Manchester United have a realistic chance at landing AC Milan striker Christopher Nkunku, chiefly thanks to Ruben Amorim.
The Frenchman is a Paris Saint-Germain academy product who established himself as one of the deadliest bombers in Germany during his four-year spell at RB Leipzig.
In 2023, Nkunku completed a £50 million transfer to Chelsea, but his time in West London was blighted by injuries and unconvincing displays. Last summer, he made a £30 million switch to Milan, but his first season in Italian football was lukewarm at best.
Man Utd can buy Christopher Nkunku as Amorim omits him from Milan squad
This summer, Nkunku has been trying to win over Amorim, who was appointed as Milan’s new head coach. However, the Portuguese tactician has seen enough, and decided to omit the 28-year-old from his plans.
On Thursday, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed that Nkunku became the latest player to be excluded from the 41-year-old’s plans, thus joining Youssouf Fofana and Fikayo Tomori on the sidelines.
This news brought to mind the so-called ‘bomb squad’ formed at Carrington last season, when Amorim decided to exclude five Man Utd players from his plans, namely Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, and Tyrell Malacia, prohibiting them from training with the main host.
According to British football journalist Ben Jacobs, Nkunku’s situation could present Man Utd with a golden opportunity to sign Nkunku, who was on their shortlist last summer.
Jacobs revealed as much during his appearance on The United Stand, insisting that MUFC ‘really liked’ Nkunku and tried to include him in their negotiations with Chelsea when the two clubs were working out Garnacho’s transfer.
The journalist added that even if Joshua Zirzkee ends up staying at United, the club could still bring in another experienced striker on an ‘economical’ deal.
Should Man Utd pursue Nkunku?
Between 2019 and 2023, Nkunku was one of the most sought-after attackers in Europe thanks to his exploits at Leipzig, so it is no surprise that Man Utd’s Head of Recruitment, Christopher Vivell, holds him in such high regard, as the latter used to work for the Red Bull group at the time.
That being said, the 28-year-old’s career has been in a spiral decline since his move to Chelsea, with his scoring stats taking a major dip.
Based on his book value, Nkunku would likely cost Man Utd around £25 million this summer. So while this surely isn’t a monumental figure based on today’s market, it remains a significant amount to spend on an attacker who hasn’t displayed his best over the last three years.
With Benjamin Sesko leading the line, and Zirkzee, Marcus Rashford, Matheus Cunha, and Bryan Mbeumo offering alternative solutions, Michael Carrick should have enough attacking options at his disposal, at least if all of them remain at Old Trafford.
