Manchester United are eyeing up a move for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani.
Erik ten Hag is hoping to strengthen his forward line this summer and has outlined a new No.9 as his priority position at the end of the campaign. Following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, United have had to rely on Anthony Martial and Wout Weghorst to fill the void up front.
However, Martial has struggled with an ongoing hip injury, while Weghorst has failed to score in 12 Premier League matches since his loan move from Burnley in January. Marcus Rashford has had to move across into the central striker position but his best success has come as a winger under Ten Hag.
The United boss is now set to dip into the transfer market and Kolo Muani could be his ideal target. According to Sky, the Red Devils have entered the race for the France international but will face competition from Thomas Tuchel's Bayern Munich, who are also keen on the forward.
Kolo Muani, 24, has been on fire for Frankfurt so far this season, scoring 20 goals and grabbing 14 assists in 40 appearances in all competitions. His form has attracted interest from across Europe, with Bayern and United amongst his suitors as the Frenchman also impressed at the Qatar World Cup.
It is understood Bayern have already started formal talks with Frankfurt over a potential move for Kolo Muani and initial negotiations were 'positive'. Bayern haven't replaced Robert Lewandowski since his switch to Barcelona last summer, with Jamal Musiala their top scorer on 11 goals.
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Paris Saint-Germain are another club who have reportedly entered the frame, with Kylian Mbappe pushing to convince Kolo Muani to move to the French capital. As per BILD, Mbappe is in direct contact with Kolo Muani and is hoping he can make the switch to PSG in a deal that could be worth over £100million.
However, Frankfurt do not need to sell Kolo Muani. He has four years to run on his current contract and is in the form of his career, having struck 13 times in the Bundesliga this term.
Ten Hag will be hoping he can lure the Nantes youth product to Old Trafford with United all but set to qualify for the Champions League next season. The Red Devils have also been heavily linked with a move for Harry Kane but the England star may run out the final year of his Tottenham contract and depart next summer instead.
When asked about his summer transfer plans last week, Ten Hag said: "Yeah, I think everyone knows. It’s not a secret that over the whole season we had a shortage of No 9s. First, we had the dropout of Ronaldo, then Antony Martial was often not available, Jadon Sancho was often not available, then you have a shortage of frontline players.
"With less players we have to cover many games, so definitely we need in the frontline players who strengthen the squad. You can approach that from many ways. The typical No 9, Rashford can also play very good as a No. 9 and Anthony Martial is a great No 9."
