Manchester United join the race for Alvaro Morata after missing out back in 2017 | OneFootball

Finding a strike partner to lighten the load on young Rasmus Hojlund will be key for Manchester United ahead of the new season.

Last term, Erik ten Hag had no choice but to keep playing the Dane due to the lack of alternatives at his disposal after the Glazers failed to back him in the summer and in January.

With Anthony Martial departing the club and with Marcus Rashford’s future far from secure, a new forward is high up on INEOS’ agenda with Joshua Zirkzee‘s name doing the rounds lately.

Convincing the Bologna ace to play second-fiddle to the Denmark international will not be easy. The ideal recruit should be someone who is experienced and someone Hojlund can learn from while also being ready to step up when needed.

Striker hunt

Premier League experience is something INEOS value highly and now, Turkish outlet Sabah (via Sport Witness) have linked Atletico Madrid forward Alvaro Morata with a move to the Theatre of Dreams.

The Spaniard was close to joining the Red Devils back during Jose Mourinho’s tenure only for Romelu Lukaku to come to Manchester while the 31-year-old moved to Chelsea instead.

After a brilliant start to life in the English top-flight, Morata’s form deserted him and he ultimately left London after scoring 24 goals in two seasons.

In the last campaign, the Spanish international netted 21 times for Atleti while registering five assists in 48 games across all competitions.

Morata chase

His improved form has once again seen the 20-time English league champions jump for his services and they have been joined by AS Roma, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund and Fenerbahçe in the race.

The former Real Madrid star has a release clause of only €12 million and his agent is “in talks” with all the clubs mentioned above.

The deciding factor is slated to be the salary on offer with the Turkish club, incidentally managed by the former United boss, reportedly open to paying Morata €4.5 million per year.

If United are indeed serious about landing the two-time Champions League winner, then paying more than Fener should not be a problem.

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