MANCHESTER UNITED’S summer striker search will be shaped by Bilbao on Wednesday night.
Beating Spurs to lift the Europa League will make a as well as bringing silverware and a ticket back to the Champions League elite.
United scouts have scoured the market over the past six months, desperate to give Ruben Amorim the attacking weaponry he needs to take the Old Trafford club back into Prem title contention.
Yet if Ange Postecoglou and his players are parading around San Mames in joy after the final whistle, the knock-on effects for United’s recruitment drive will be huge.
, Benjamin Sesko, Moise Kean, Liam Delap, Mateo Retegui and Jean-Philippe Mateta as well as Udinese’s “Tower of Pisa”;; Lorenzo Lucca.
Both Gyokeres, 26, and Sesko, 21, , who have reportedly made the Sporting Lisbon striker No1 on their shortlist.
The Swede sensation is one of Europe’s hottest properties after netting 53 goals so far this term, with Sporting willing to let him go for around £60m.
Amorim knows his former star well but he is unlikely to come to Old Trafford without top-level European football.
Likewise, Sesko’s reported £64m release clause would be out of United’s price range too given their PSR concerns – unless Amorim can shift out a swathe of his current players.
Delap, 22, in his Ipswich contract and is believed to be the Red Devils’ top target.
The former Manchester City striker has impressed in an often lonely and forlorn role, scoring 12 Prem goals and showing power and intelligence.
But there are questions, too, over whether he would join United without European football, especially if fellow admirers Chelsea qualify for the Champions League.
SunSport understands the Blues are confident of landing the England under-21 international.
Should United miss out on Champions League football, it would mean shopping in a different market – less Harrods, more Waitrose.
Ex-Everton forward Kean, Atalanta’s Retegui and Lucca are among the fallback options.
Italy star Retegui, 26, has 23 goals in 31 games for Atalanta this term, with Liverpool reportedly also interested.
Kean, 25, flopped in the Premier League with the Toffees but has revived his career with 17 league goals in 30 games for Fiorentina this season, while 6ft 7in Lucca has netted 11 Serie A goals for the mid-table outfit.
Amorim’s scouting team have also identified Crystal Palace’s Mateta, 27, following his 14-goal breakout season.
The Frenchman, who showed his value once more at Wembley on Saturday, would cost around £30m, with Palace already resigned to losing him in the summer.
United are also big fans of Marcus Thuram at Inter Milan but a deal could be tricky as his agent does not get on with CEO Omar Berrada.
WIL POWER
United hope technical director Jason Wilcox could be their trump card in the battle with Chelsea for Delap.
Ruben Amorim has identified the England Under 21 striker as one of the men who could solve their chronic goal-scoring problems next season.
And Wilcox knows him well through his work at the City Football Academy while Delap was coming through the ranks.
He was the head of the youth set up at the Etihad when Delap joined from Derby in 2019. That personal relationship might give United an advantage.
TURKISH DELIGHT
TURKISH champions Galatasaray could give United a way out of their increasingly troublesome Jadon Sancho predicament.
United believed they had seen the last of the former England winger when he was sent on loan to Chelsea with a £25m obligation to buy him at the end of this season.
But Chelsea are understood to be ready to send Sancho, 25, back to Old Trafford for a £5m “penalty”;; repayment, leaving Amorim with another player he knows the club do not want.
With Sancho having a year of his contract remaining, United need to raise just under £15m for him this summer to avoid a PSR “loss”;; on any move.
Galatasaray, who clinched the Turkish crown this weekend, are gearing up for their Champions League return and are ready to come in with a bid.
Sancho, though, who broke through after leaving Manchester City to join Dortmund when he was just 17, might be more tempted by a return to the Bundesliga, especially with Bayer Leverkusen expected to undergo a major rebuild following the departure of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid.
FRIENDLY FIRE
HARRY MAGUIRE and Amad Diallo were among a handful of players on media duty when United held their Europa League open day – and all seemed to be harmonious between the pair.
That might not be the case on Saturday though – as two of their former clubs go head to head at Wembley in the Championship Play off final.
Maguire took time out from his busy season to watch Sheffield United complete their demolition of Bristol City on Monday night.
And 24 hours later, Amad sent a good luck message to his old team-mates at the Stadium of Light – and maybe that helped inspire their dramatic late winner against Coventry.
Neither player is likely to be at Wembley for the final as their current team play Aston Villa in their last Prem game of the season the following day.
FAN FRIENDLY
THOUSANDS of United fans are heading to Bilbao – many of them with tickets for the game and some without.
But all will be encouraged to visit the designated fan zone at Etxebarria Park – which is described as ‘one of the largest green zones in the city’.
It is surrounded by green hills and offers magnificent views of Bilbao – according to the local tourist board – so supporters should be quite happy there.
Local police are not anticipating too much trouble but the Spurs faithful will be directed towards the Amezola area of the city for their fan zone.
PICTURE THAT
DAVID DE GEA netted a whopping £22.8million in image rights while at Manchester United.
The ex-United star – set for a return to Old Trafford in a pre-season friendly with Fiorentina – built up a fortune of £22,755,059 inBedamarse Ltd, the company he used to handle his off-field pay.
The keeper’sfortune shot up £3.5million in his last season at Old Trafford, the equivalent of £67,300 a week, according to accounts.
The mega pay came on topof De Gea’s £375,000 a week wages.
As well as image rights payments, De Gea signed a number of lucrative sponsorship deals with the likes of Adidas, Pepsi and EA Sports.
LEAVING A MARC
MARCUS RASHFORD paid himself a huge £12.2million dividend last year.
The forward paid himself the huge sum from his investment company, MUCS Enterprises.
Rashford also took out an interest free loan from the business worth £6.6million.
The company made a profit of £6.2m in 2024.
And despite pocketing the huge sums, his firm still has assets worth £5.6million.
The on-loan Villa striker has also hit the jackpot with his investment properties.
The total value of his rental properties jumped by almost £700,000 last year – from £7.1million in 2023 to £7.8million, according to latest paperwork for his rental firm, MUCS Properties Limited.
GETTING SHIRTY
MANCHESTER UNITED and Liverpool may be miles apart in the Premier League, but the fierce rivals both banked £123million in kit sales last season.
The pair banked the whopping sum from kit and merchandise sales, according to a fresh Uefa report.
Only Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich banked more than the Premiership giants.
Jude Bellingham helped Real Madrid top the charts with club sales worth £165million last season.
The England man’s shirt is the most popular in the club’s official stores.
Bruno Fernandes shirts are the biggest sellers at Old Trafford, while Mo Salah’s shirt is among the most popular for champions Liverpool.
WAYNE TO GO
WAYNE ROONEY has won a £200,000 windfall after defeating HMRC in a long-running dispute.
The United legend, 39, has landed the huge sum after closing down the firm he used for his lucrative sponsorship deals and image rights as a player.
He has been waiting for three years for the payment after placing his company, called Stoneygate 48 Limited, into voluntary liquidation.
Company liquidators said: “We have continued to be in contact with HMRC over a substantial tax refund which was due. This has resulted in a substantial but, in our opinion, partial repayment. We are seeking clarification of whether anything else is due.”;;
The Manchester United legend received a £22.2million windfall after closing down the firm, including £11.9million in cash and more than £9million from the sale of properties.
FROM THE GROUND UP
MANCHESTER UNITED’s new stadium bill could reach £4billion, according to industry experts.
A number of experts have warned in private that the Red Devils’ ambitious plans for a
The new stadium will replace Old Trafford, which has been the Red Devils’ home since 1910.
Ineos chief and club co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe put an ambitious five-year target on the build.
It would see United move into their new ground for the 2030-31 campaign.
But industry insiders believe that United’s plans could cost double the club’s £2billion budget.
