Manchester United will have a tough time trying to convince Benfica striker Darwin Nunez to move to Old Trafford.
The attacker has not been shy to express his desire to switch to a European big-hitter, preferably one which plays Champions League football on a consistent basis. The player is reportedly in the process of changing agents so such a transfer can be fuelled.
Nunez has proved his worth too, knocking in 34 goals in 41 games this season. Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea have been linked with the 22-year-old.
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United may ultimately need to look elsewhere if Nunez turns his nose up at an offer. And they could do worse by looking at towering Stuttgart forward Sasa Kalajdzic. According to reports in Germany, United have enquired about his availability this summer.
The 24-year-old missed the first half of the season with a shoulder injury, but since March has netted five goals in nine games. He’s showing the kind of form he displayed the previous season, when he recorded 16 goals and six assists in 33 Bundesliga matches.
As per the Mirror, he is the league’s tallest player, standing at 6ft7’. It’s no surprise then that Kalajdzic has won 149 aerial duels this season, according to One-Versus-One’s figures. But the big man is more than just a focal point of attack.
The Austria international - who has scored four goals in 13 caps for his country - is known for his off-the-ball pressing too, which may pique the interests of Erik ten Hag given Cristiano Ronaldo’s reluctance to chase. In these regards, he plays very much like Nunez.
He may not mirror the goal stats of the Uruguayan, but his potential is evident judging by his last two seasons. Kalajdzic would be a low-cost option, being valued at around £22m, and would also be more happy being a rotation player behind Ronaldo - which may not be the case with the excitable and confident Nunez.
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