Yes, you read it right - Manchester United want Marko Arnautovic.
More broadly, Erik ten Hag wants a striker, but his personal connection with the 33-year-old from their time together at Twente all the way back in the 2008 has put Arnautovic at the top of the Red Devils' shopping list - at least this week. The Austrian ace's brother and agent, Danijel, has already confirmed they've received an offer from a "well-known club," with reports suggesting that United have offered Arnautovic a three-year deal in a desperate bid to bolster their forward line.
Their actual bid, however - believed to be worth around £7million - has been rejected by Bologna. And while Old Trafford chiefs are expected to send the Italian side an increased offer, the setback is an opportunity for Ten Hag, football director John Murtough and anyone with some authority at the Theatre of Dreams to wake up.
Arnautovic is certainly a good player - his 14 goals in Serie A games last term don't lie, much like his impressive record in six Premier League campaigns with Stoke City and West Ham - but he's 33 and would be signing until 2025. What happened to the Red Devils' long-term vision? Their Murtough-led, forward-thinking new era?
Since Sir Alex Ferguson retired nearly a decade ago, United have made a habit of panic-buying over-the-hill strikers as short-term fixes. Radamel Falcao, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Odion Ighalo and Edinson Cavani largely worked out, but Ten Hag is still left with Anthony Martial - in his seventh campaign at Old Trafford - and a 37-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo who wants out.
Suffice to say, it's time to change the cycle - regardless of Arnautovic's good rapport with the Red Devils boss.
Instead, Ten Hag can prove himself as a manager who trusts in youth and guides homegrown talents to stardom, just as he did so famously at Ajax. Luckily for him, the Dutch tactician has two rising stars in the United academy who've been tearing it up long before he arrived in Manchester.
Striking duo Joe Hugill and Charlie McNeill have made names for themselves at youth level and helped the club's under-18s win the FA Youth Cup in May. Durham-born Hugill, who arrived from Sunderland in the summer of 2020 amid competition from Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, has notched 31 goals in 58 games, while local lad McNeill - infamously snapped up from bitter rivals Man City last year - has an incredible 42 goals in the same amount of appearances as his fellow 18-year-old.
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The teenage pair's undeniable pedigree puts them on track to have successful careers at Old Trafford, but without a chance in the first team and Red Devils transfer chiefs continuing to gamble on the likes of Arnautovic, supporters might never see the best of their brightest prospects.
Even in Hugill and McNeil's brief spells at Old Trafford, we've seen the likes of Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta put their faith in youth when their options are limited. Although the results have varied, fans have certainly been encouraged by their bold decisions.
While the safe route is to reunite with Arnautovic and kick the can down the road, United's future is staring Ten Hag in the face.
