Man United Rebuild Stalls as Top Striker Targets Slip Away | OneFootball

Manchester United’s Striker Hunt: Rejection, Rebuild and Reality Bites

Watkins and Osimhen Deals Collapse Amid Summer Scramble

Manchester United’s aggressive pursuit of a new No.9 this summer has been met with harsh realities. Once eyeing Ollie Watkins and Victor Osimhen as marquee additions to lead their frontline, the Red Devils are now being forced into a reassessment of both ambition and approach.

David Ornstein, speaking on The Athletic’s YouTube channel, delivered a blunt but insightful update. “Ollie Watkins, as reported by our colleague Laurie Whitwell, is among those on Manchester United’s recruitment list. I’d be surprised if he wasn’t on the recruitment list of top clubs,” Ornstein revealed.

“He’s such a good striker and a good lad, and they’ve maybe held some enquiries with his camp. I’m not sure if that’s gone to Villa directly.”

That final point proved decisive. “From my conversations with Villa, they see themselves as having no intention to part with Ollie Watkins. They want him to continue with him up front for them.”

For a club that finished a dismal 15th in the 2024-25 Premier League season, such rejection only deepens the sense of vulnerability. Watkins, a 27-year-old English forward entering his prime, was seen as an ideal foil to play off Matheus Cunha, who arrived from Wolves for £62.5m and has inherited Marcus Rashford’s iconic No.10 shirt.

The club’s struggles to bring in Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford only compound the issue. United missed their own self-imposed deadline on that deal, prompting growing pessimism over their ability to deliver key targets in time for pre-season integration.

Amorim’s Tactical Blueprint Hinges on a New No.9

Ruben Amorim, United’s latest managerial appointment, is expected to implement a 3-4-2-1 system requiring a commanding No.9. That’s not Matheus Cunha’s natural role, and Mbeumo is more creator than finisher. With Watkins ruled out, attention had turned to Osimhen – but even that door has now closed.

According to reports from Corriere dello Sport, Osimhen has decided against the Premier League entirely. Instead, he has chosen Galatasaray, the club where he enjoyed a prolific loan spell last season, as his next destination.

His decision comes despite rejecting an extraordinary financial package from Al-Hilal – reported as €40 million per year for three years. “The story is starting to become clearer,” the Italian outlet concludes. “Osimhen intends to continue playing with Galatasaray” and has “said yes” to a €16 million-a-year offer from the Turkish giants.

Crucially, Osimhen’s desire for Champions League football also ruled United out. Their 15th-place finish was more than a stain – it’s a barrier to attracting elite talent.

Shifting Targets and Free-Agent Contingencies

With Watkins and Osimhen unavailable and the Mbeumo deal in limbo, United have turned to alternatives. Ivan Toney is one such target. Reports suggest the England striker is open to a move and that his current club, Al-Hilal, won’t demand an eye-watering fee.

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Toney offers a Premier League-proven physical presence and a strong hold-up game that could fit Amorim’s system, but questions over his off-pitch reputation and disciplinary history remain relevant.

Additionally, a free-agent option has been green-lit by Amorim, although he is viewed merely as a depth option, potentially fourth choice behind Cunha, Toney and Mbeumo if all plans had materialised.

Meanwhile, sporting director Jason Wilcox has been tasked with securing long-term solutions, reportedly eyeing a teenage talent from AZ Alkmaar dubbed a “total footballer”. That may excite the future, but United’s present is a problem begging for immediate solutions.

Brutal Summer Snapshot Reflects Harsh Reality

United’s forward planning appears less like an ambitious rebuild and more like damage limitation. The club, once a top destination, now finds itself distanced from the elite market. That Watkins and Osimhen are both out of reach, for differing but equally frustrating reasons, highlights where the decline has left them.

This summer was meant to be about recovery and renewal. Yet by early July, it feels more like acceptance – that a return to former glories will be harder, longer and more expensive than even their most hardened critics predicted.

For fans, it’s a cocktail of emotions – hope over Cunha’s potential, worry over the lack of a proven goalscorer, and disbelief that Osimhen would prefer Istanbul over Old Trafford. The winds have changed.

As Ornstein put it so simply but sharply, “From my conversations with Villa, they see themselves as having no intention to part with Ollie Watkins.”

And for United, that phrase alone speaks volumes.

Our View – EPL Index Analysis

This isn’t what anyone expected. We’ve gone from hoping for Watkins or Osimhen to scrambling for scraps. Watkins would have been ideal, young, proven and Premier League ready, and if Ornstein’s update is accurate – and it always is – then we were never seriously in the running. Villa won’t budge and we don’t have the pull anymore.

Osimhen choosing Galatasaray over United? That stings. Yes, they have Champions League football and we don’t, but that’s the point. This club used to be a magnet for players, now we can’t close deals even with big wages.

Toney would be a good signing but he feels like a compromise rather than a plan. Cunha looks talented but can’t lead the line alone. What worries me is the lack of clarity. Amorim has a system and no striker to make it work.

We’ve spent two summers now stuck in failed pursuits. If Mbeumo falls through too, what next? A free-agent fourth choice? That’s not rebuilding, that’s patchwork. The board need to act fast, or this season could be worse than the last.