Man Utd must sign £52m striker ahead of Arsenal to replace Zirkzee, he's primed to leave his club

Manchester United are likely to enter the transfer market for a new striker, with Joshua Zirkzee poised to head for the exit door.

Zirkzee has been a fringe player for the Red Devils in his second season and has hardly played over the past couple of months.

Benjamin Sesko is the preferred specialist striker in the squad, while Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha have also led the line.

Hence, Zirkzee could be on his way out when the season ends. Everton were credited with a loan move for the Dutchman last winter and could make a permanent offer this summer.

A return to Serie A with Roma did not materialise in January, but Juventus could be an option. They were keen on signing him during his Bayern Munich days and have rekindled their pursuit.

United have a very talented striker in Chido Obi in their youth ranks, but the club’s hierarchy should ideally pursue another young marksman with first-team European experience.

In our view, Bayer Leverkusen ace Christian Kofane would be an ideal acquisition. His agent has already talked up a summer transfer with Arsenal and Barcelona in contact.

The 19-year-old signed for the Bundesliga outfit from Albacete last summer. He has made a big impression with 15 goal contributions from under 1,800 minutes.

The Cameroon international recently caught the eye during the double-legged Champions League round of 16 tie against Arsenal, where he was Leverkusen’s standout performer.

Kofane completed 94 percent of his passes at the BayArena (17/18) and also excelled with his hold-up play and movement upfront. He was a handful for William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes.

The striker replicated the feat in the second leg at the Emirates Stadium. He had a passing accuracy of 89 percent (15/17) and was denied a fantastic goal by a world-class David Raya save.

At just 19, the young striker has impressed with his physical presence, distribution and ball-striking ability, and he would be a fabulous signing to compete with Sesko upfront next season.

Leverkusen are set to demand at least £52 million for his services. We believe he could be signed for less. A deal could be struck for a lesser fixed fee of £40 million with performance add-ons.

Arsenal are leading the pursuit of the young marksman, and United must be proactive to secure the services of the highly-rated Cameroonian ace during the next transfer window.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com

Article written by Sri Aswin .