Manchester United report: Erik ten Hag to bid for TWO veteran Premier League strikers

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag reacts during the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Manchester United at Brentford Community Stadium on August 13, 2022 in Brentford, England.
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Manchester United have turned to two Premier League goal machines in their quest for reinforcements up top.

The future of Cristiano Ronaldo is still very uncertain, with the Portuguese legend wanting to leave Old Trafford for a second time. CR7 wants to play Champions League football and though United were originally reluctant to part ways with their talismanic forward, have reportedly had a change of heart in recent weeks.

The mood around Carrington is said to be low, influenced in no small part by Ronaldo's desire to move club. With so few attackers left on the books following Edinson Cavani departing in the summer, the Red Devils are apparently eyeing up shock moves for a veteran pair. 

Jamie Vardy of Leicester City holds the ball in anticipation of taking a penalty before the decision was overturned by VAR during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Leicester City at Emirates Stadium on August 13, 2022 in London, United Kingdom.

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According to CaughtOffside, United are willing to offer Jamie Vardy a one-year contract. Leicester City are said to be less than enthused about the idea, say The Athletic – though the player himself might be keen on one last big payday. 

Vardy is 35 years old and has played at the King Power Stadium for the last 11 years, winning promotion from the Championship, an FA Cup and most notably, the Premier League title in 2016. 

Another more attainable option, however, could well be former Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The Gabonese goal-getter managed 68 goals in the top flight for the Gunners before his untimely exile last season but has picked up the baton at Barcelona, netting 11 La Liga goals in 18 appearances. 

The Sun are claiming that Aubameyang – who is being pursued by Chelsea as an option up front – has been added to United's list, too. Espanyol striker Raul de Tomas along with Atletico Madrid pair Alvaro Morata and Matheus Cunha have also been linked according to ESPN.

Barcelona's Gabonese midfielder Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang stands on the pitch during the Spanish league football match between FC Barcelona and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on August 13, 2022.

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Manchester United are set to face Liverpool on Monday night in what may become the worst start to a Premier League season ever, after losing the first two games. The Red Devils are at the foot of the table following the 4-0 embarrassing to Brentford last weekend. 

Off the field, Elon Musk recently joked about buying the club.

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The end of the transfer window is set to be busy for Manchester United, with four more signings targeted. As many as six defenders could leave the club, too.

The Frenkie de Jong saga continues to tick over. Cristiano Ronaldo would reportedly be unhappy if De Jong commanded a higher wage than him, while Chelsea also have an interest in the Dutchman – and a plan to hijack his move. Sergino Dest – another Ajax star under Ten Hag who moved to Barcelona – is also an option, while potential Ronaldo replacement Benjamin Sesko has been linked

Benjamin Pavard has apparently been offered to United by Bayern Munich, while another Bundesliga star is also on the shortlist. Meanwhile, Dean Henderson has criticised his treatment at Old Trafford last season.

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.