Man Utd Could Land Lukaku 2.0 In £69m "Superstar"
Manchester United are believed to have made contact regarding a summer move for Eintracht Frankfurt striker, Randal Kolo Muani, according to the latest reports.
What's the latest on Kolo Muani to Man United?
As per journalist Laurie Whitwell – in his piece for the Athletic – the Red Devils are said to have held 'discussions' regarding a move for the former Nantes man, despite having also shown an interest in Atalanta's Rasmus Hojlund.
The respected insider revealed that United's director of football, John Murtough has 'held talks' with the Bundesliga outfit regarding a potential move for the 24-year-old, with a new centre-forward seemingly a real priority for Erik ten Hag this summer.
Whitwell also goes on to note that the seven-cap international would command a fee of around €80m (£69m) if he was to be sold ahead of next season, having only made the move to Germany a year ago.
Should Man United sign Kolo Muani?
Hailed as a "future superstar" by German icon, Lothar Matthaus, the Frankfurt speedster has unsurprisingly caught the attention of the Old Trafford hierarchy after contributing 40 goals and assists in just 46 games in all competitions during his debut season at Waldstadion.
That breakout campaign – which also saw the Bondy native score in Les Bleus' World Cup semi-final triumph over Morocco – would suggest that Kolo Muani would be an astute capture, helping to provide an ideal replacement for Anthony Martial, for instance, with the latter man having been linked with a departure.
That being said, however, United supporters may be concerned to learn that the one-time Boulogne loanee is said to share a number of stylistic and statistical similarities with Romelu Lukaku, according to FBref.
That likeness between the pair is best illustrated by their ability to offer a creative outlet when leading the line, with Lukaku ranking in the top 2% in Europe among those in his position for assists, while Kolo Muani ranks in the top 3% for that same metric.
Equally, the latter man also ranks in the top 15% for progressive passes received to further showcase his creative prowess, with the current Inter Milan ranking just ahead in the top 7% in that regard.
While a comparison to the latter man – who is the all-time leading scorer for Belgium and boasts 280 club career goals – is not solely negative, the 30-year-old did not exactly enjoy a happy stint at the Theatre of Dreams, having been shipped off to Italy in 2019 after just two years in Manchester.
The one-time Chelsea man did score 42 goals in 96 games for the Red Devils, although was criticised by journalist Samuel Luckhurst for his "woeful and costly finishing" during the start of his second season at the club, having seemingly failed to win over the Old Trafford faithful.
To think then that Murtough may sanction a move for a similar player to that of Lukaku in the form of Kolo Muani may have alarm bells ringing, with United no doubt wanting to avoid a repeat of that transfer mistake.