Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim pushing for €100m Spanish striker amid Barcelona interest: Reports
Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is pushing the Red Devils to move for Porto striker Samu Aghehowa, who is also on Barcelona's radar. The 20-year-old has had a breakout season in Portugal, with 20 goals and three assists across all competitions, making him one of Europe’s most in-demand young attackers.
The 21-year-old was on the verge of signing for Chelsea in the summer of 2022 before sealing a surprise move to Porto. Now, he has seen his value rocket after his impressive time in Liga Portugal.
Manchester United and Barcelona are not the only clubs interested in Aghehowa. Bayern Munich, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham are all keeping an eye on him as well. The Red Devils' interest in the player is being driven personally by Amorim, as per CaughtOffside. However, the club may have to offload star players to recoup some finances before major moves are made.
Porto do not want to sell, and suitors will probably have to pay Aghehowa’s €100 million release clause to seal a deal. Barca, meanwhile, are being pressured internally by Lamine Yamal to sign the 20-year-old, who is his teammate on the Spain national team.
La Blaugrana are not in an urgent need to replace Robert Lewandowski, but they see him as a long-term investment.
Manchester United consider summer move for Barcelona defender
Barcelona are willing to sell centre-back Ronald Araujo for €60 million next summer, with Manchester United interested, as per Fichajes.net (via The People's Person). United are set to strengthen their defence options, though they spent heavily in the position last summer.
While Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt were signed last summer, a combination of lack of depth and persistent injury issues have placed defensive reinforcements on the priority list. Lisandro Martinez is still out after undergoing surgery on a torn ACL, while Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof will likely leave once their contracts expire this June.
Now, Araujo is said to be attracting the most serious interest from Old Trafford. Earlier this year, the Uruguayan signed a contract extension at Barca, keeping him at the club until 2031. However, his future remains far from certain. Under Hansi Flick, the 26-year-old has fallen down the pecking order and made only five league appearances, having been injured for much of the season.
As Pau Cubarsi and Inigo Martinez set up the more favoured centre-back pairing, Barcelona are allegedly open to making a sale. Araujo’s new deal includes a release clause that’s rumored to fall to the sum of €60 million in the early part of the summer window.
Manchester United are said to be poised to make their interest known in the coming months as they look to procure a proven defender.
