Man Utd target "Darwin Nunez's replacement" to improve attack

Karan Tejwani

Updated: 2 Oct 2022 09:24 BST
3 min read

Manchester United are eager to strengthen their forward line in upcoming transfer windows and have set their sights on Benfica hitman Goncalo Ramos.

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The Red Devils are thin on options up front, with Marcus Rashford currently leading the line while Anthony Martial has struggled with injury issues and Cristiano Ronaldo is in the final months of his deal at the club.

United did target a forward in the summer transfer window but had other priorities before that, choosing to bring them in before they had time to bring in an attacker.

Now, with the January transfer window coming closer and games coming thick and fast, the club need to bring someone in quickly, and have identified Ramos as an option.

Man Utd want to improve forward line

Ramos has been the replacement for Darwin Nunez this season, who departed earlier in the summer for Liverpool, and he has done well for Benfica so far in this campaign.

He has scored eight goals and provided six assists in the 12 matches he has played thus far, one of which was a hat-trick in the Champions League to help Benfica make it through to the group stage of the competition.

The 21-year-old has formed a fine partnership up front with new signing David Neres and will not come in cheap: he has a contract with the Lisbon giants until 2025.

Manchester United and PSG are the ‘most attentive’ to Gonçalo Ramos and there are signs ‘they may tighten in January’. Benfica want more than €40m. #MUFC [@JornalNoticias via @Sport_Witness]
— mufcmpb (@mufcMPB) October 1, 2022

According to JN, though, Manchester United will still push to sign the player and will have to fork out a fee in the range of £35 million if they want to secure his services.

It won’t be easy either, as they will face competition from a host of top European clubs including Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Newcastle United, who failed in their pursuit of the player over the summer.

Signing a new forward is next on the priority list for Manchester United, and Ramos would be a worthwhile option to consider for the long-run.