Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United To Compete With City, Arsenal To Sign $27M-Worth Striker: Report

Manchester United reportedly are set to compete against a few other big European clubs in the signing of the 19-year-old striker, Thiago Almada, who currently plays for Argentina-based club, Velez Sarsfield.

Man Utd, who are understood to be making signing youngsters a priority under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, have approached Sarsfield for Almada’s move to Old Trafford this summer transfer window, as reported by Tutto Mercato Web.

Earlier, Mundo Deportivo reported that the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid have also been monitoring the teenage striker as Sarsfield are set to sell him off this summer.

It’s unclear whether the contract negotiation is underway between Man Utd and the player or between the Premier League club and Argentina’s Velez, who have labeled the striker with a transfer fee of $27 million. Almada has been impressive since he made debut for Sarsfield in 2018. So far, he has made 28 appearances for the club in the Primera Division, Argentina’s highest soccer league system, and has scored five goals, while across competitions he has netted six times for Sarsfield in as many as 33 matches.

With the Old Trafford side chasing Almada, it looks like they are going after bargain buys as well amid their expensive targets such as Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho, who could cost them at least $124m or more.

If Man Utd pull off Almada’s signing, the Argentinean could be competing against the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata and Angel Gomes for a place in the starting XI. However, Gomes, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the current season, is still uncertain about his future at Old Trafford. It is also understood that the former Premier League champions have not managed to get Gomes to ink a new contract with both Chelsea and FC Barcelona waiting to grab the signatures of the 19-year-old English midfielder.

Currently, soccer around the globe has been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Man Utd are placed fifth in the Premier League table, three points adrift of the Champions League spot. According to the latest update from the U.K. government, sports in the country will not start before June. Man Utd’s arch-rivals, Liverpool FC, are only two wins away from clinching their first league title in 30 years.