Manchester United were briefly linked with Santos striker Marcos Leonardo during the summer
The Brazilian is regarded as one of the most highly-rated rising stars in South America and United are believed to be monitoring his progression this season.
It has been claimed that Erik ten Hag is a fan of Leonardo and wants to bring the striker to Old Trafford, but the manager was only able to sign one forward ahead of the new season despite fears of Anthony Martial’s fitness and form.
Now reports in Spain via Fichajes (cited by TEAMtalk) claim Arsenal are pushing to sign Leonardo, 20, and have ‘opened talks’ in attempt to strike a deal.
Arsenal sporting director Edu is well connected in Brazil and he’s only brought the likes of Marquinhos and Gabriel Martinelli to the Emirates Stadium from his homeland. The South American market is also something Chelsea are trying to tap into.
The report in question claims Arsenal are ready to offer Santos €20m (£17m) with add-ons included.
It remains to be seen if United will match this offer for Leonardo or give Arsenal a free run to sign the forward, although we can only imagine other top clubs will be keeping a close eye on him.
After all, Leonardo has done remarkably well for Santos. The youngster has scored 19 goals in 37 appearances (via Transfermarkt) for the Brazilian outfit.
United signed Rasmus Hojlund, 20, from Atalanta and the Denmark international missed the first few matches due to a back injury. He is now starting games, but may take time to settle in the Premier League.
Even though United lost 1-0 at the weekend, former United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel was complimentary of his compatriot’s performance. Hopefully it’s only a matter of time before he gets a flurry of goals to his name.
United’s problems in front of goal this season haven’t been helped by Marcus Rashford’s form. The England international is creating chances but not finding the back of the net.
That said, United are not concerned about Rashford’s form and it is felt that it’s only a matter of time before he gets back to his best for the club.
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I would like to know if he can hold up the ball and be a Tall Targetman, or is he a jesus type striker? Also what is his shots to conversion rate? The price shows he would be a good investment anyway.
The price will go up once he moves to Europe, too. Maybe not if he turns out to be a flop at a big club, but we genuinely take bigger risks in the market. Agree with those who say we should be monitoring the South American market. Baffled we didn’t really go for Julian Alvarez.