Transfer market operators line up Cavani to replace Ighalo at Man Utd

Transfer “market operators are active in England and are ‘probing the ground’ with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side to see if they would like to take PSG star, Edinson Cavani on a free transfer for next season to replace embattled Odion Ighalo.

Manchester United’s interest in Cavani would likely depend entirely on their prospects of signing frontman Ighalo on a permanent basis, with the club being told his side, Shanghai Shenhua want €17m to turn the loan move into a permanent transfer.

Ighalo has impressed in his time at Old Trafford, scoring four times in eight appearances for the club, but his chances of securing a permanent move have been dented by reports that his head has been turned by a significant alternative offer.

Failure to sign him permanently will likely see United turn to Cavani and any move for either would likely be in addition to the reported move for Haaland.

United are setting their sights on a new-look attack next season with three new strikers in their sights, while an unwanted Liverpool man has been linked with a new cut-price move, according to Thursday’s Euro transfer gossip.

Solskjaer has made no secret of his wish to strengthen his Manchester United attack this summer and reports on Thursday have identified three prime targets.

With a deal for Jadon Sancho looking increasingly likely – United will have to spend as much as €130m to land the talented Borussia Dortmund winger – Solskjaer is now looking to bring in a new No 9. And, apparently, he has three men in his sights.

As per ESPN, United will plan to go back in for Erling Haaland when the transfer window reopens and will not be perturbed by the €75m buyout clause that exists in his contract.

United could have landed the Norwegian for just €19m in January, but he instead opted for Dortmund and since gone on to prove himself one of the best in the business having scored 12 times in just 11 appearances for the club, taking his tally to 40 goals in 33 matches so far this season when you add in his record for previous club RB Salzburg.

Speaking to ESPN FC, though, journalist Rob Dawson outlined that United will still have hope of signing Haaland if they can meet the striker’s release clause.

“The interesting thing about that deal [with Dortmund], though, is that his representatives made sure there was a release clause in that deal, which means that if a team were to meet that in the summer, he would have the freedom to go and talk to them,” Dawson said.

“Real Madrid are interested, they’ve got goalscoring issues that they think Haaland might be able to solve.

“But United’s interest hasn’t gone away. Solskjaer knows him very well from their time together at Molde, he knows his father very well – he used to play for Leeds.

“So if a situation arose where Haaland wanted to leave Dortmund in the summer, United would be very much interested still even though he turned them down in January.”

United, however, don’t want to just stop with Haaland and it’s reported they also are making moves to persuade Edinson Cavani to make Old Trafford his next stop when he leaves PSG.

The Uruguayan is the Ligue 1 giants’ all-time top scorer but will be free to leave as a free agent with his contract due to expire.

Read also:Boca Juniors advisor: Edinson Cavani signing could be ‘done very soon’

And while Atletico Madrid, and more recently Boca Juniors have been mentioned as suitors, Sport Witness claims both United and Lazio are the leading contenders to sign him, with the striker’s preference to ‘continue in Europe’.