Rebellious ‘giant’ who once defied his entire team could end up at Man Utd | OneFootball

Manchester United are said to be following Udinese striker Lorenzo Lucca who was recently the main protagonist of a largely controversial on-pitch incident.

The Premier League giants are keen to enhance their squad for next season, and signing a new centre-forward is at the top of Ruben Amorim’s wishlist, as Rasmus Hojlund has only managed to score three goals in his 24 league appearances this term.

Therefore, the club has been tracking several possible candidates for the role, with the most prolific being Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres. The latter could be the object of a bidding war between United and Arsenal.

Nevertheless, the Red Devils have also been linked with a host of other profiles, like Hugo Ekitike, Benjamin Sesko and Jean-Philippe Mateta, to name a few. And now a new candidate has emerged on the scene.

According to Tutto Mercato Web, Man Utd are among the clubs following Udinese’s Lucca. The Italian source identifies Napoli as a potential destination for the gigantic striker who stands at 6′ 7″, but reveals interest from the Premier League, particularly United and West Ham.

The 24-year-old rose to prominence during his time with Serie B side Pisa. This earned him a switch to Ajax in the summer of 2022, but he didn’t find considerable success in Amsterdam, so he returned to Italy the following year through the gates of Udinese.

Man Utd monitoring Lorenzo Lucca who was involved in a controversial incident

(Getty Images)

Lucca is now an Italian international after managing to impress Luciano Spalletti with his 12 goals across all competitions this season. As his size suggests, the Azzurri star is a major threat in the air, but he’s also showcasing good technical skills with his feet, making him a well-rounded marksman.

However, the big bomber was recently involved in a bizarre incident on the pitch during Udinese’s contest against Lecce in March. After winning a spot-kick, Lucca refused to leave it to his captain, Florian Thauvin, who is the club’s designated penalty-kick taker.

Almost every single one of his teammates tried to push him off the ball, but Lucca didn’t budge. In the end, Alexis Sanchez interfered, asking Thauvin to let it be. The big striker successfully converted the penalty, but none of his teammates joined him in celebration, and he was swiftly hauled off by the manager minutes later.