Manchester United interested in €40m Freiburg striker

Manchester United’s search for a new striker was one of the more chaotic subplots of the entire summer transfer window.

Joshua Zirkzee looked destined to leave for much of the closing weeks, rejecting a loan proposal from Fiorentina before Juventus and then Everton both entered the picture on deadline day itself.

United ultimately opted to keep him at Old Trafford, rejecting Everton’s eleventh-hour loan approach and leaving Michael Carrick without the fresh attacking option many had expected before the window shut.

Benjamin Sesko’s fitness issiues only added to the uncertainty up front, with the Slovenian missing pre-season entirely through a shin injury before finally returning to force his way back into contention with goals against Everton and Sabah.

Despite that recent form, Carrick opted to leave Sesko on the bench for Sunday’s derby defeat to Manchester City, instead starting Matheus Cunha through the middle and restoring Marcus Rashford to the front three, a decision that raised eyebrows given the Slovenian’s two goals in his previous two outings.

Freiburg striker subject of interest from Manchester United

Igor Matanovic’s performances at Freiburg have continued to attract attention from the Premier League regardless, with United and Tottenham both said to be seriously considering the 23-year-old centre-forward, as reported by Fussball News.

Igor Matanovic moved from Eintracht Frankfurt to Freiburg for just under €7million last summer and has made significant progress since arriving in the Black Forest.

The Croatian international has established himself as a regular starter and has already broken into his country’s World Cup squad off the back of his club form.

He has racked up 8 goal contributions in just 6 appearances so far this season, comprising 6 goals and 2 assists, numbers that have made him one of the Bundesliga’s standout players early on.

Both United and Tottenham are understood to have been monitoring his development for some time, continuing to have his performances evaluated by scouts throughout the opening weeks of the campaign.

Freiburg are only expected to seriously entertain offers that meet their valuation, with the asking price currently believed to sit between €35million and €40million.

Alexander Sorloth and Jean-Philippe Mateta were among the other forwards linked with United earlier in the summer, though neither move progressed beyond initial enquiries before the window closed.

United’s failure to add fresh competition up front means Carrick heads into the coming weeks still choosing between Sesko, Cunha, Rashford and Zirkzee to lead his attack, a selection headache that shows little sign of resolving itself before the New Year window opens.