In the 2022–2023 Premier League season, Manchester United only managed to score 58 goals, the fewest of any team in the top six. Erik ten Hag will undoubtedly need to bring in one or more top-tier strikers during the summer transfer window.

In fact, only seven of those 58 goals were scored by true centre forwards, with Cristiano Ronaldo (one) and Anthony Martial (six) finding the back of the net. This serves as more evidence that the Dutchman needs adequate firepower if he wants to launch a title bid next season.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Old Trafford team has set its sights on Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic. Any potential transfer may cost Ten Hag around €90 million (£78 million), but this is significantly less than the estimated £100 million United may have to pay to sign Victor Osimhen this summer, another player on their radar.

This means that the Serbian striker may be the Dutchman’s perfect Osimhen replacement before 2023/2024, allowing him to concentrate on other parts of the club instead of blowing the majority of his cash on just one player.

Could Dusan Vlahovic be acquired by Manchester United?
Even though they just signed Vlahovic 18 months ago, the Serie A team may be prepared to trade him during the summer window if the Bianconeri miss out on the Champions League owing to a new ten-point punishment.

With 30 goals scored as opposed to 14 for Vlahovic, Osimhen has undoubtedly had the best season of the two.

Since the start of the 2019–20 season, there hasn’t been much of a difference in their combined goal total, with the Nigerian international scoring 76 goals as opposed to 72 for the 23-year-old, demonstrating that he is a more than acceptable replacement.

Goal-creating actions per 90 (0.33-0.29), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.67-2.1), and shots per 90 (1.84-0.94) are all rather low during this period, with the Serbian team leading the first measure.

He received high acclaim from journalist Emmet Gates last year, who stated:

“Dusan Vlahovic has the potential to be a generational player, but this Juventus team is not kind to him.

He is a Ferrari that is being driven like a Fiat, to paraphrase a well-known Zlatan statement.

Dusan-Vlahovic-Juventus
He would benefit greatly from a change of environment, and someone with his potential should be able to show it off in the Champions League.

Given that he would cost substantially less and since the data suggest little separation in many measures between him and Osimhen this term, Ten Hag must act as soon as feasible.