Manchester United are on the hunt for a new striker as part of Ruben Amorim's summer squad rebuild.
The Red Devils ended the 2024/25 season with their lowest-ever Premier League finish in 15th place - and no trophies - following defeat in the UEFA Europa League final to Tottenham.
Amorim will be given a transfer budget to work with in the weeks ahead as the club plan widespread sales including offloading returning loan trio Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Anthony.
However, the mass exodus will not just feature Amorim's attempts to offload those three stars, with the Portuguese coach desperate to solve a goalscoring crisis at Old Trafford.
44 top-flight goals last season was the fifth lowest tally in the Premier League with no Red Devils player reaching double figures in league action.
At the heart of the issue is two misfiring strikers, with Rasmus Højlund rounding up 2024/25 with just four league goals and Joshua Zirkzee on three.
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That will force a decision from Amorim, with Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport claiming Højlund will be moved on, but Zirkzee could be granted another 12 months to prove himself in Manchester.
A return to Serie A looks to be Højlund's most likely exit route - with Inter Milan and Juventus interested in the Danish forward - and a £35m [$47.5m] exit fee could be reinvested in Bayer Leverkusen hotshot Patrik Schick.
Patrik Schick Bayer Leverkusen contract, transfer value, Man United latest
Reports from Bundesliga expert Florian Plettenberg claim Schick is open to leaving the BayArena before the 2025/26 season as part of a growing squad exodus from the club.
🚨⚫️🔴 Patrik #Schick has received multiple enquiries, including from the Premier League and Serie A.
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) June 15, 2025
However, staying at Bayer 04 Leverkusen is absolutely possible at this stage. Erik ten Hag wants to keep him, and Schick sees it as a fresh start.
If he does not move, even a… pic.twitter.com/af4c28GOlr
Following Xabi Alonso's return to Real Madrid, Jeremie Frimpong has joined Liverpool - with Florian Wirtz set to follow in a club record deal - and Granit Xhaka on Napoli's radar.
Former United boss Erik ten Hag faces a battle to keep Alonso's 2023/24 title-winning squad together and Schick could be the next departure.
Ten Hag wants to keep the Czechia international, with his current contract running until 2027, plus the option for an extra 12 months.
However, with a relatively low transfer value of £30m [$40m], United could utilise money generated by expected sales to launch an offer, as per the Manchester Evening News.
Amorim is also in a position to offer a salary increase to the 29-year-old as a host of high-earning stars leave Manchester.
Despite winning a first-ever Bundesliga title in 2024, Schick only managed seven league goals, but he tripled that figure as Alonso finished second last season - with only Harry Kane [26] outscoring him in the German top tier.
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