have made an enquiry for Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic though face a tough battle to sign the in-demand forward who is also on the radar of .
One of the first transfer priorities for incoming United boss Erik ten Hag is signing a new forward, with the club deprived of options to play through the middle – a problem that will only get worse when Edinson Cavani leaves.
The Red Devils have been linked with several names already, from Darwin Nunez to , though now a new – rather more affordable – option has emerged.
, United are looking into the possibility of signing Kalajdzic and have enquired about his availability, with the Austrian expected to leave Stuttgart this summer.
After missing almost the entirety of the first half of the season with a dislocated shoulder, the 24-year-old returned to the team in January and netted six goals in 1,204 minutes of action – averaging a strike every 200 minutes.
His goals – particularly against Bayern and Koln in the final two matches of the season – helped Stuttgart avoid relegation, though the club are now expected to lose their star forward.
Kalajdzic is only contracted to the club until 2023 and is available for just €20million (£17m), with Bayern, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain all monitoring him in addition to United.
The Bundesliga champions believe he can be the perfect heir to Robert Lewandowski should the Polish striker be successful in his attempts to secure a move to Barcelona, or act as backup this season if Lewandowski stays – though Kalajdzic would then take over as the main striker in the 2023/24 season.
Bayern are believed to be leading the race for the towering forward and have already held a first round of negotiations with Stuttgart regarding a transfer.
Last season, in a campaign uninterrupted by injuries, Kalajdzic netted 16 goals and laid on five assists in 23 Bundesliga starts – averaging a goal or assist every 101 minutes – while he also impressed at Euro 2020, particularly against Italy.
Interestingly, United interim boss Ralf Rangnick – who will take up a consultancy role at Old Trafford when his time in the dugout ends – will soon be managing Kalajdzic when he assumes his role as manager of the Austria national team.
Kalajdzic would fit the profile of striker Ten Hag is looking for, someone capable of playing up top alone or in tandem with Cristiano Ronaldo.
In addition to a new forward, the Dutch coach is also looking to strengthen a host of other areas of his team with a new right winger, centre-back, right-back and potentially two new central midfielders – one more attack-minded, the other more defence-orientated – all on the agenda.
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