Man Utd want £16k-p/w striker, already had an answer

Manchester United are ramping up their pursuit of a new striker this summer, and have already had an answer as they look to land one of their targets.

Hojlund needs support

Signed by Erik ten Hag last summer, Rasmus Hojlund has enjoyed a mixed first season at Old Trafford. The Dane enjoyed a purple spell midway through the campaign, but suffered a poor run at both ends, with nine of his 12 Premier League goals coming in a seven-week period between December and February.

At only 21 years old, he was often asked to plow the lonely canals but showed a lot of promise. However, he is now the only known striker on Manchester United's books after Anthony Martial confirmed his move as a free agent this summer.

This left the Red Devils in need of a new striker, and faced a crisis when wanted Benjamin Sesko signed a new deal to keep him at RB Lezipig this summer, ending hopes of luring him to Old Trafford.

As a result, they have been forced to look elsewhere, and with new owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe keen to avoid past mistakes, they are looking for a young player who can share the role with Hojlund and who will present fewer fitness issues than Martial. , all while looking for a decent salary.

United have offered a response to the 21-year-old

This comes as Sports Bild revealed (via Sports Witness) that United are among the clubs interested in 21-year-old striker Maximilian Beier, who is also thought to be attracting the attention of Bayer Leverkusen and Liverpool.

The Hoffenheim youngster enjoyed a breakout campaign, scoring 16 goals in 33 games across Germany's top flight last season, and was rewarded with a call-up to the German national team, making his debut in the final round in June and doing enough to secure a place in his country's upcoming EURO 2024 squad.

Hoffenheim's sporting director, Alexander Rosen, highly praised the youngster, saying: “Maxi Beier is a great young man and an extremely talented striker. He is incredibly fast, dangerous and can kick really well.”

And United have made the “first move” to sign him this summer, it is claimed, when the Red Devils asked Hoffenheim what terms would be required to sign the rising star.

And they already have an answer too, with Hoffenheim reportedly targeting his £32.5m (£27.4m) release clause as the target price to snap him up this summer. He will be cheap next summer, with the clause set to drop by €2.5m every summer over the remaining three years of his £16k-a-week deal with the German outfit.

As in the summer competitions, a strong performance at EURO 2024 could see a number of clubs join the queue for his signature, which could leave United wanting to do a deal sooner rather than later.