rewrite this title Their own Ekitike: Man Utd chasing move for “special” £100m-rated striker

Manchester United’s summer transfer window is finally moving forward. While INEOS pulled a blinder in signing Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the early stages, progress has since been stagnant.

However, Ruben Amorim has now moved a step closer to reshaping his Red Devils side, for a £71m deal has been agreed with Brentford for right-sided forward Bryan Mbeumo.

However, something’s still missing at the front of the ship. Indeed, Man United need a reliable centre-forward.

Man United’s search for a striker

It’s been a frustrating summer of searching for a number nine so far. Rasmus Hojlund is not necessarily leaving Old Trafford, but Amorim has still been seeking an upgrade, with Liam Delap and Viktor Gyokeres both earmarked, both headed elsewhere.

Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike has also emerged as a target, but the French forward has rejected United in favour of a move to Liverpool, which is in the works.

Thus, according to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Man United have added Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson to their list, with the Blues’ signings of Delap and Joao Pedro sure to be a concern for the Senegal international.

Chelsea priced Jackson, 24, at £100m when AC Milan registered their interest earlier in July, but United technical director Jason Wilcox will be focused on striking a deal for a more agreeable figure, as he lines up a swoop for the attacker.

Why Man Utd want Nicolas Jackson

Two years ago, Chelsea signed Jackson from Villarreal for a reported £32m fee. He has since won the Conference League and Club World Cup, notching 42 goal contributions from 81 matches across all competitions.

He’s not perfect; far from it. Jackson is raw and lacks a cool temperament in the final third. As per Sofascore, he has missed 43 big chances in the Premier League, having scored only 24 goals across his two terms.

But there’s a really good player in there. Jackson, only 24 last month, is already heading toward becoming one of the Premier League’s more seasoned strikers, and he started the Enzo Maresca era on firm footing before flaking away across the latter half of the term.

Hailed for his “special” qualities by journalist Rahman Osman, there’s a lot to like, and Jackson might even shape into United’s own version of the aforementioned Ekitike. He is dynamic, mobile, and varied in his attacking output.

There’s no denying that Ekitike is the cleaner striker, more effective with his tools, but Jackson is cut from a similar cloth, hardly just a static target man. In this way, he would already make for an upgrade on Hojlund, who was so often caught adrift across the 2024/25 campaign.

With Mbeumo and Cunha adding new layers to Amorim’s frontline, it’s inconceivable that an energetic forward such as Jackson wouldn’t enjoy plenty of chances.

And let’s not forget, Liverpool’s transfer target has yet to step foot in the English game, and there is no promise that he will uphold his present numbers, having scored 22 goals and supplied 12 assists last year.

Jackson would be a calculated risk, for sure, but flanked by two of the Premier League’s most wide-ranging attacking talents, he might just grow into his skin.